Emote
by jazzywazzy08
Summary: Stefan Salvatore finds it much easier to sin now that he cannot feel emotion. The only thing that he can want now is to make Klaus suffer. The only person that can help him do that is Bonnie Bennett. But she has no faith in her powers anymore, and he has no will to help her restore it. But he knows that all power has a stimulus, and for a witch, power is tied to emotion. So even wi
1. PART ONE: PROVOCATION

**Title:** Emote

 **Rating:** M

 **Genre:** AU/Supernatural/Humor/Romance

 **Pairing(s):** Bonnie/Stefan, Bonnie/Klaus, Matt/Rebekah, Tyler/Caroline, Abby/Finn, Kol/Lucy, Elijah/Katherine, mentions of Damon/Elena, past Stefan/Emily, past Stefan/Sheila, past Klaus/Ayanna, past Klaus/Gloria, past Klaus/Greta.

 **Summary:** Stefan Salvatore finds it much easier to sin now that he cannot feel emotion. The only thing that he can want now is to make Klaus suffer. The only person that can help him do that is Bonnie Bennett. But she has no faith in her powers anymore, and he has no will to help her restore it. But he knows that all power has a stimulus, and for a witch, power is tied to emotion. So even without a will to feel of his own, he plans on provoking any emotion in Bonnie that he can in any way that he can to bring the power she is too scared to use now to the surface. Fear is good. Anger works better. But the emotion with the highest success rate is lust. But what happens when Klaus discovers Stefan's methods and finds reason to want to make use of the Bennett witch himself. _Set During 3x10._

 _ **A/N: This is a repost. I am working on reposting a ton of my fics. It is slow going but I am getting there. I have them archived at Wattpad still but there are some glitches on the site and my stories have been disappearing but anyway I am posting here as well just to make sure they stay in tact. Please to not comment on this fic regarding other stories. Majority of the other fics will be reposted in due time. Anyway sorry about any errors. Love you guys. Thanks for reading.**_

 **PART ONE: PROVOCATION**

" _The advantage of the emotions is that they lead us astray."_ **~Oscar Wilde**

Stefan Salvatore listened as the floorboards of the old house creaked as Bonnie Bennett walked through the house in search of what had drawn her there. He knew it was her. He had been following her but he would have known either way, he didn't have to see her. Didn't even have to smell her scent that lingered strongly in the air, even though she had not reached him yet. He could tell by her footing, the way that he could hear her move, cautious and yet determined. He could tell by the pattern of her breathing, and the sound of her pulse. Differences in people were not just exterior, and when you were what Stefan was, you noticed everything that made a person different. The enhancement of your senses prevented anything else.

He had plans for Bonnie and they started and ended with the coffins he had stolen from Klaus. He needed to make an alliance and she was the only one that was still remotely useful and the only one that he knew would trust him even with her doubts. It wasn't just the fact that he was good at getting her to do what he wanted, it was the fact that she was more isolated than ever now, marginalized from the group, just like him though for a very different reason.

Jeremy Gilbert had decided that a ghost was preferable over a living breathing girlfriend and because of that the group's dynamics had shuffled. Though, Elena had not exactly chosen sides, it was obvious that best friend or no best friend, Bonnie would end up on the losing end. Elena might have been displeased and disappointed with Jeremy but he was family, blood, and in families that actually gave a fuck about each other, blood was thicker than water. Bonnie may have been _like_ a sister, but it was Jeremy who was Elena's brother. So Elena and Jeremy were both out as far as people in Bonnie's corner.

Then there was Caroline Forbes. While, she had taken Bonnie's side in the whole debacle, she was now much too busy with her newly sired beau, Tyler Lockwood, to be of much comfort to Bonnie, and so that axed the blonde. Then there was Matt Donovan who was even more isolated than Bonnie and so as far as Stefan was concerned he didn't really warrant mentioning.

There was no one else. Not with Bonnie's father perpetually out of town and her mother abandoning them both over ten years ago now. It was the perfect time, in Stefan's opinion to prey upon her. There was not only no one there that would bother stopping him, but Bonnie would feel alone enough and hated Klaus enough to at the very least listen to what Stefan had to say.

Stefan listened as the door to the basement creaked open and Bonnie walked down the stairs. As she came into view he remembered a time when they had been close to becoming friends.

He couldn't feel the loss or guilt that he once had over what had happened to Sheila, the change it had caused in Bonnie, and the ending of their friendship before it had really begun.

The only thing that Stefan felt as he looked at her was perplexed over why the hell she still dealt with any of them anymore, after everything she had done and loss. Her grandmother was dead, she had died for Elena, and she had brought Jeremy back from the dead only to have him cheat on her with a dead vampire. Stefan didn't really see what was in it for Bonnie anymore. But he wouldn't have to in order to use her.

When she turned around and realized that he was there, Stefan saw something akin to sympathy and regret in her green eyes. Yes, she was definitely ripe for the picking. "Hello, Bonnie," he said, his voice calm and even, if a little intimidating.

"Stefan," she responded. She was looking at him suspiciously, and there was shock in her eyes. It was obvious to him that she had learned about his disappearance after Mikael's death. "You followed me here," she accused.

Stefan didn't bother denying it. "Yeah," he nodded, "Wasn't too hard. You should probably be more careful." For every step forward that he took she took a step back.

It was clear she didn't know what to make of him when he was like this. She knew how to deal with Saint Stefan, the wounded, the repentant, and the "good" brother. This wasn't her territory, but she wasn't like Elena.

When people weren't as Elena had imagined them or thought them to be, she tried to change them back to her expectations without realizing that she might have never really known them in the first place. When Bonnie was shown someone's true colors she simply took them at face value and acted accordingly.

It was why she was able to fear Stefan now when she had once cared for him. It was why she was able to walk away from Jeremy even though she still loved him. For Bonnie people didn't change, they just showed more of their true selves as time passed. And maybe, Klaus was partially responsible for unleashing this side of Stefan, but that didn't mean that it had not been a part of him all along or that it wasn't who he was now.

"What do you want with me?" She demanded.

"Relax," Stefan coaxed, "I just need your help." It was best to be honest with her, she didn't trust him as it was, and so if he went dancing around the issue, he knew that she would simply walk away from him.

"Why would I help you?" Bonnie asked, "Elena said, that you saved Klaus' life." A part of her felt that if he had, then he had had his reasons. Still, she didn't know what the hell was going on with him, saving Klaus one minute and gunning for him the next.

Stefan chose not to tell her why he had saved Klaus, though it would have likely caused some faltering on her part. She might have even been more willing to help him. But he didn't want her to misconstrue who he was now. Didn't want her to think that she was still dealing with the "Old Stefan" beneath the surface.

He didn't give a shit anymore, not about anyone except at times himself and even those times were rare even though the reasons he wanted Klaus dead were selfish. He needed release, catharsis and watching Klaus die would give him that.

He had even saved Damon for his own sake, because he couldn't live without his brother. He wasn't going to pretend to be some selfless hero and have her walk into this blind. She needed to know what she was dealing with.

"Let me fill you in on a little secret about Klaus," he told her, ignoring the scowl on her face, "He kept his family with him at all times. Daggered, stored in coffins." Bonnie's expression changed, as if some light bulb turned on in her head. He raised a brow at her but continued. "And now I have them and I need you to help me keep them hidden," he said.

Bonnie stopped thinking about the strange dreams she had been having about Klaus and coffins, long enough to process what he had said. "Are you out of your mind?" She asked, and then she remembered who she was speaking to. She shook her head. "You're just going to make him angrier."

Stefan wasn't really listening to her protest. Of course Klaus would get angrier. That just made things more fun. "His family is his one weakness," Stefan persisted, "As long as I have that I can _ruin him_."

Bonnie knew that there would be no reasoning with him. She would just have to get herself out of his plans. There was one way to do that and she wouldn't even have to lie. "I don't have enough power to hide four Originals," she said.

Stefan shrugged. "You're a witch, you hate Klaus, and I can figure something out," he said.

In truth even without one hundred dead witches Bonnie had more than enough power, she just didn't know or was too scared to access it. But Stefan knew more about witches than he had ever let on. He had been close to both Emily and Sheila after all, among others. He knew how they worked, what drove them, and how to bring their power to the surface.

"What do those three things have to do with each other?" Bonnie asked, eyeing him skeptically. She was close to just walking away.

"Agree to help me and I'll tell you," he offered.

She knew she couldn't trust him and even with how old he was and how much longer he had been exposed to magic, Bonnie still believed she knew more about what she was than he did. Whatever half-baked scheme that Stefan came up with was bound to fail. "I think I'll pass," Bonnie sighed, "Are we done here?"

Stefan nodded. "For now," he said, "But you know as well as I do that Klaus won't stop. When you've changed your mind, you know where to find me."

 **:::**

Bonnie sighed as she walked into her room, feeling dejected. She was miserable and Jeremy was in a downward spiral and though she didn't want to care she did care. Besides that she now knew what her dreams meant.

Her Grams had told her that she needed to stay out of Original business, and yet the spirits were sending her dreams of Klaus and his family, and the coffins they resided in. She was so tired of it all. Klaus, the mixed messages from the spirits, paying consequences that no other witch she knew seemed to have to pay.

In truth Bonnie had found Stefan's offer more tempting than she had let on. She didn't trust him; but she wanted to get rid of Klaus or at the very least make him suffer. The sad part about it all was that she was certain that if Stefan hadn't stolen Klaus' family in the first place; the deranged Original wouldn't have had a real reason to remain in Mystic Falls.

But having been friends with Klaus in one time, and enemies and comrades with him in another, Bonnie was sure that Stefan had known that. Bonnie didn't give a shit if it was a power play game between Klaus and Stefan or some twisted form of foreplay, whatever the case, she knew that the best thing for her to do would be to stay the hell out of it.

Bonnie started as her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen before answering it. "Elena," she said, "Hey." Bonnie was attempting to sound normal but all attempts were forgotten when suddenly Elena was launching into a speech that connected the dots between Bonnie's dreams and Klaus' coffins. "Elena don't get involved," Bonnie ordered firmly, "Whatever Klaus wants, stay as far away from it as you can."

"Klaus won't let me," Elena claimed, and then she said something that Bonnie couldn't ignore, "Bonnie, he tried to kill Jeremy." And just like that Bonnie was being sucked right back in.

Bonnie sighed and sat down heavily on her bed. Even if she had been to the point where she no longer had feelings for Jeremy, which she wasn't, she wouldn't have been able to ignore him being a target. "What do you want me to do?" She asked.

"We need to find, Stefan," Elena said, "Look, I know you don't think that your locator spell still works but we need to try."

Bonnie bit her lip and then nodded in resolve. "You don't need a locator spell," she said.

 **:::**

Stefan shouldn't have been surprised when instead of Bonnie returning Elena showed up, but he was. Bonnie was a "for the greater good" type person and so he had hoped that she would help him on that basis. However, it was on that basis that she had ratted him out instead.

"Go away," Stefan said, causing Elena to turn around and face him. It wasn't as hard being callous to her as he thought it would be now that Klaus had set him free for all intents and purposes. Now he was imprisoning himself in this situation until he could end it. "You shouldn't be here."

"Stefan, I need your help. Bonnie said that you would be here," Elena said, sounding unaffected.

"Well," Stefan sighed, " _Bonnie_ sucks at keeping secrets."

He half listened as Elena told him about Jeremy's almost death. How many times had he almost died since their arrival? Why couldn't Elena just take the hint and ship the kid out of town already? Or she could simply let him die like fate obviously wanted so he could be happy with his ghostly vampire girlfriend in the in-between. That way Klaus couldn't threaten Elena with trying to kill him anymore, problem solved.

When Stefan didn't show any signs that he cared Elena frowned. "Stefan," she said, "Don't you get it. He isn't going to stop until he gets what he wants."

Of course he "got it". He was living proof of it. Did she just up and forget the shit that Klaus had put him through in order to get his old friend back? That had always been Elena's problem, and Katherine's as well. Their pain and their losses were special. Their experiences too. No one could ever possibly understand.

And yet they were quick to compare the two when you lost something, quick to use it to sway you into thinking that they were the only ones that could ever understand you. Katherine had called it the art of manipulation, Elena called it caring, essentially though, they were one in the same. Stefan blinked, he had never compared them in that way before and yet he found his assessment to be true.

"Elena," he said, "Stop talking. I'm not giving Klaus anything."

Klaus had taken too much and threatened to take too much for Stefan to let him win so easily. He wouldn't let up, not even for Elena.

"Are you listening to me?" Elena asked, though it was obvious that he wasn't. Or rather he was, he just didn't really give a damn. "He's going to kill Jeremy."

"Not really my problem," Stefan shrugged.

It didn't sting when she slapped him and he didn't break when she told him to go to hell. Feelings were a distraction that he no longer had to deal with, and as she walked away from him and he was finally able to feel nothing as he watched her go he got a measure of satisfaction from it.

He was tired of caring. He was tired of the guilt. He was tired of it all. Klaus had been right in a way. His humanity had been killing him. Stefan took a seat in a worn out chair and rolled his eyes when his brother forced his way into the house.

He looked up as Damon crashed down the stairs. "That was impressive," he smirked, as he stood and walked toward his brother, "But the coffins aren't here so you can go away now."

He wasn't surprised to see his brother there. Now that he was out of the picture that was how things were. Where there was Elena, there was Damon, playing the loyal puppy, tongue lolled out and tail wagging, all too ready to take his brother's place. One would have thought that Katherine would have been enough of a lesson for him.

"I don't care about the coffins," Damon said, "We need to talk."

Stefan watched as the witches continued to torture Damon. He got some measure of satisfaction from it. Maybe it was because no matter how much Stefan loved his brother, a part of him wanted to see him hurt because he knew that even though he had given up everything for Damon by saving Klaus in order to save him, Damon would still be Damon at the end of the day and do what he wanted.

After all, when Stefan had given himself over to Klaus and human blood in order to save Damon from his little werewolf booboo that hadn't stopped him from going after Elena while he was gone. Or maybe it was because Stefan had always been fond of witches and loved to see them work, after all there was a reason they were attacking his brother and not him. Whatever the case, Stefan found the sight before him rather amusing.

"Okay," he said, "Let's talk."

He wasn't really surprised when Damon attacked him and forced him out of the house. His brother had always had a low tolerance for pain and the witches never got sick of having a little fun at Damon's expense. He was surprised however when he found himself impaled with a tree branch. But when Damon asked him why he had saved Klaus he didn't tell him because was being held at branch point, no, he told him because he wanted Damon to be the one to carry all of the fucking guilt for a change.

But Damon was Damon in the end and as he once again shoved the tree branch into Stefan's stomach and told him to stop saving him, Stefan decided that he would take his brother's advice.

 **:::**

By the time Bonnie got ahold of Elena again, she had found out that Stefan and Damon had gotten into it. Damon had gone back to his brother to get in on his little plan but Stefan had refused. That left it up to Bonnie. They needed someone on the inside and that had to be her. Stefan had propositioned her and he needed her conceal the coffins if nothing else.

Elena had told her to call her as soon she could to let her know if Stefan had let her back in. In the meantime she was making a bargain with Klaus, Rebekah's life for Jeremy's. But Bonnie wasn't stupid. She knew that Klaus wouldn't stop there. Jeremy wasn't the only one that he could target and so if giving Klaus his family back would get him off of their backs then she would make sure Stefan gave him what he wanted.

As she approached the witches' house, Stefan was standing outside of it. He looked her up and down a measure of surprise marking his features. "You already ratted me out to Elena," Stefan said, "I figured that we were done here."

"I did what I had to do," Bonnie said, "Klaus went after Jeremy."

Stefan blinked. "You mean like Jeremy went after Anna even after the spirits went after you for saving his life," Stefan laughed, "You would think that Baby Gilbert would have lost a few cool points." Stefan was testing her, his methods were clear in his mind, he just had to see if they would work.

Bonnie glared at him. "You're one to talk," Bonnie said, "I heard why you saved Klaus, to save Damon. Even after saving him got you into this mess with Klaus in the first place, and even though it didn't stop him from going after Elena either time."

"Ouch," Stefan said, placing a hand over his chest, "You used to be much nicer to me Bonnie." He could tell she was beginning to get angry. He sped over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and slamming her against a nearby tree. "What happened to us Bonnie?"

Stefan grinned as the trees around them began to shake and the ground beneath their feet began to crack. It took a lot for Bonnie to trust him before so he wasn't surprised that his break from sainthood seemed to cause such an emotional reaction. He would have never hurt her before. In fact he had gone out of his way to save her more than once.

"Let go of me," Bonnie hissed. Coming here was a mistake. She would just have to tell Elena that they would have to find another way. Stefan's grip on her tightened and anger and fear began to surface. "I said _let go_ ," she spat. The wind began to howl suddenly and Stefan let out a pained cry when both of his arms broke from their sockets.

Bonnie was surprised when Stefan laughed as he snapped them back into place. "Bravo," he smirked, "I knew you had it in you. What was that about not being powerful enough again?"

Bonnie's eyes widened once she realized not just what he had done but what she had done to him. "You did that on purpose," she said. How long had it been since she had accessed that much power? Had she even been able to before she had had the power of one hundred dead witches? "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem is that you don't seem to know what you're capable of and I am going to need you to hurry up and figure it out if we are going to work together," he said, as he once again found his footing.

Bonnie blinked at him. "We're working together now?"

Instead of answering Stefan walked up to stand behind her and placed a hand on the small of her back. "Come with me," he said, "I want to show you something."

Bonnie reluctantly let herself be led into the witches' house hoping that if something were to happen that she would be protected. Stefan took her down to the basement. There were now candles lit everywhere, but aside from that Bonnie saw no change. "What am I looking at?" she asked, "There's nothing here."

Stefan smiled down at her in a placating manner. "Look again," he said. When Bonnie did, suddenly the coffins holding Klaus' family appeared. It had been the witches striking out at Damon that had reminded Stefan that though they had always abhorred his brother, they were rather fond of him. So he figured he would try his luck with the spirits that were giving him refuge in the house, hoping they would hide the coffins as well. "The witch spirits hate Klaus as much as we do," he explained, "They're using their powers to hide the coffins."

Bonnie turned to him looking confused. "Then why do you need me?" She asked. Stefan pointed to a coffin in the far corner. Bonnie looked in the direction and frowned. "This is the one I dreamt of," she said to herself as she approached it.

Stefan raised a brow at her words but didn't otherwise comment. He watched as Bonnie moved to open the coffin. "Don't bother," he said, "It won't open."

Bonnie attempted anyway. "What do you mean?" she asked, "Is it locked?"

Stefan shook his head. "Nope," he said, "Just won't open. I've tried everything. Blow torch. Axe. Crowbar. I can't even scratch the finish."

Bonnie's eyebrow shot up as she looked down at the coffin. "I think it's closed with a spell," she said unnecessarily as Stefan had already guessed as much.

While the spirits were helping him hide the coffin they weren't helping break the seal on the one that wouldn't open. That meant that whatever was inside was something that they perceived as dangerous. "Meaning whatever is in there should probably stay in there," Stefan said.

But Bonnie knew that it could be something powerful and that meant that it could be their only hope of getting rid of Klaus. She turned to Stefan. "You said that you wanted to make him suffer," she said, "The witches led me here for a reason. I think whatever's inside this coffin is our answer."

"So you're in," Stefan stated. It wasn't a question but he grinned when she nodded. "The spirits aren't able to or they won't open it, it has to be you."

"And I'm guessing that stunt that you pulled outside is a part of how you're going to help me access enough power to do it?" Bonnie asked.

Stefan nodded crossing his arms over his chest. "I call it provocation," he said, "Everyone who knows anything about witches knows that their powers are tied to their emotions. If you provoke enough feeling in a witch you can open the doors to their powers. It could be any type of feeling really. Happiness, fear, anger, anxiety, or _desire_."

"And that works?" Bonnie asked, clearly skeptical. She remembered her Grams mentioning that once or twice, and she knew it was true in some cases.

"It has in the past," Stefan nodded, "Some emotions have more satisfactory results than others."

He had fucked enough witches to prove as much, and then there was Klaus who was going for some sort of record. Most didn't understand, namely Damon, why Klaus would go the seduction route with a witch when one had enough power and influence to use different methods, mainly force. But Stefan understood.

There was a method to Klaus' madness, there always had been. Emotions were emotions and all caused power in a witch, however while pissing a witch off caused a brief power surge and scaring them caused their power to rise, nothing worked like fucking them. And while Stefan would have been against going that route with Bonnie were he able to feel anything, luckily for him, his emotions were turned off.

"You provoke feeling in a witch and there is no limit to what can be done," he said.

"How the hell are you going to provoke feeling in me when you can't even feel emotion right now?" Bonnie asked.

Stefan gave the witch a slow once over look that caused her to squirm. "Trust me, Bonnie," he said, "I have my ways."

"Fine," Bonnie sighed, feeling suddenly uncomfortable, "Whatever. Let's just call it a night. We can start figuring it out tomorrow."

"Deal," Stefan said, "But no telling Elena." The last he said with a hint of warning in his tone.

Bonnie nodded. "No telling Elena," she said. And even with the promise she made to Elena only hours before she meant it.

 **:::**

Klaus Mikaelson was tired of fighting Stefan on his own. It was getting him nowhere. He was no closer to getting his family back then he was when Stefan had first stolen them from him. He had his sister but that was not enough.

There was too much at stake and he had come too far to lose his family now after everything he had done in order to keep them safe and together. But Stefan wasn't going to let up, that much was clear. Which meant that Klaus would need an ally. His hybrids, while nice errand runners, seemed to be getting picked off every time he sent one of them near the little twits that used to mean something to his old friend, though Klaus still couldn't fathom why. Either way his hybrids wouldn't do.

There was only one other solution that Klaus could think of. He needed an ally and there was only one other type of being that he had ever deemed worthy enough to work with. Witches.

So it was clear what or rather whom he needed. Both Greta and Gloria were now dead. As were Maddox and the others. The other witches in his arsenal were too far out. He would have to start over with someone who was closer. The Bennett witch.

While Klaus knew it wouldn't be an easy deed, he was certain that if he could manipulate Bonnie things would work out in his favor, even if he only ended up using her as a bargaining chip to exchange for his family, instead of as a tool to use to find and dispose of Stefan.

Klaus was sure that Stefan had the witch set on opening his mother's coffin. Once the ripper discovered there was a coffin that could not be opened Klaus knew that his curiosity and his hope that whatever was inside could kill him, would cause Stefan to call for the witch's assistance. Most everything from a spell to a hangnail caused Stefan to call for the witch's assistance. That was why Klaus was having her followed.

However, he would have to soon go from simply having her followed to sending her a message, and from that to calling upon her himself, at least if he wanted to sway her into helping him convince Stefan to return his family through acquiescence or force, whichever was necessary.

It was the way it always worked, when Klaus decided he wanted a certain witch for whatever reason. The persistence, the charm, the flattery, the unbridled respect for their power; he would treat them like no one else had and it got to them in the end. As far as he was concerned Bonnie Bennett would be no different.

 **:::**

Stefan had told her to be careful about being followed and yet the next day one of Klaus' hybrids had managed to follow Bonnie to the witches' house anyway. Luckily for them however, the witches were a step ahead and managed to hide the coffins before the hybrid reached the basement. Stefan had killed him but Bonnie was shaken up by it.

"I told you to be careful," Stefan said as he tossed the hybrid's heart aside.

"I know," Bonnie frowned, "I thought I was. Obviously Klaus is already suspicious of me and I'm not any closer to figuring out how to open this coffin. We're running out of time."

Stefan considered her for a moment. "If Klaus is having you followed it isn't because of me," Stefan said, "Its only one of two reasons. Either he wants to use you to get to Elena in order to speed up his families return, or…"

Bonnie met his gaze and she didn't like what she saw in the way that he was looking at her. "Or what, Stefan?" She demanded.

"Or he's in the market for a new witch and he wants to see how hard he'll have to work in order to sway you to his side," Stefan said.

"What?" Bonnie said, "What do you mean a new witch?"

"Did you think Greta was the first?" Stefan asked, "I mean, you had to have noticed that he collects witches like Damon collects excuses to throw alcoholic induced pity parties for himself."

Bonnie fought the urge to grin and then shook her head. "Whatever," she said, "I'm not going to join his collection anytime soon." Not that she was taking Stefan seriously, at all. "So if that's what he wants, which I doubt it is, then he's wasting his time."

"Good to know," Stefan nodded.

He expected her to be against Klaus. Still Stefan wasn't sure what her reaction would be to him once he decided to make his move. Stefan wasn't opposed to sleeping with Bonnie for any reason in the state that he was in, she was attractive, she was powerful, and she could turn him on without really trying most of the time.

The only objection he had ever really had to pursuing Bonnie prior to turning off his switch was the fact that she was Elena's best friend. Now, however, he didn't really give a shit and he was sure that the girls weren't as close as before anyway. Besides, since it was Elena's brother that broke Bonnie's heart the girl should be happy that Bonnie wasn't moping around over Jeremy and she was getting back out there, even if she did end up in Stefan's bed during the process.

Bonnie looked at him for a long moment, trying to make some sense of that statement or the look he was giving her, before she sighed. "I have to go to school," she said, giving up, "I'll be back to try again later."

Stefan nodded again. In his mind he was trying to figure out how flexible she was. Now that he was thinking about taking her bed, he couldn't really get the images that were invading his mind out. She had been a cheerleader which at the very least meant she was limber.

"Are you going to do anything other than hang around this creepy house alone all day?" Bonnie asked. She was trying to get him to say something or stop staring at her but it was obviously not working.

Stefan shook his head in answer. He wondered if Bonnie could manage to recite spells while he fucked her. It had worked with Emily, and at first he had been offended because well, she could still concentrate enough to perform spells and do them correctly while he was pounding into her which didn't really speak well about his performance. But then he had later learned that it wasn't that his performance was bad it was just that Emily had been _that_ good.

Then there had been Sheila. While he had made her speak in tongues during, spells didn't really work so much for her until after. But dick always improved her performance so he supposed it worked out in the end. Bonnie had characteristics of both so things could go either way.

When Bonnie realized he was obviously too focused on whatever it was he was thinking about and probably wasn't really seeing her even if he was staring at her oddly, she decided to give up and just go to school. "Right," Bonnie huffed, "I'll see you later."

 **:::**

Bonnie felt a lot less guilty about lying to Elena once she found out that the girl had had Damon compel Jeremy into leaving town. After talking to Jeremy she had left school and ended up at the witches' house pacing the length of the basement. Stefan watched her from his seat in the wooden chair in the far corner but he didn't say anything.

"This isn't about me and Jeremy," she rambled to herself, "As much as I still care about him I realize now that I wasn't what he really wanted. I get it. I'm not as pathetic as everyone seems to think.

"No. What gets me, what really gets me is the fact that she is taking away not just his life but his _choice_. They always do this. She and Damon just can't help playing God. Every time anyone has to talk her out of doing some stupid shit that will either get someone killed or won't work any fucking way, we're all wrong. We have to respect _her_ choices. She had good intentions so when someone else gets hurt or worse dies, we have to look the other way and pat her own the back and tell her everything is okay because she tried. And then when she runs head first into some dangerous situation we break our backs to save her and she wants to cry because everyone is sacrificed for her sake.

"I do everything I can, even die to protect her, and I shouldn't have done it because she didn't think it was good idea. You give up everything to save Damon not once but twice and all she sees is that you left her. Like really? What kind of fucked up convoluted logic is she on? I mean whenever we break, we lose, we sacrifice, it's always about how it affects her. How would she have felt if I had died? How could you have left her, didn't you know how she would feel? How would she feel if Jeremy stayed in town and got hurt because of her? I mean what does it matter how anyone else feels or what choices they want to make, or what motivates them right? It's bullshit. All of it is just bullshit."

Bonnie raged. She still couldn't believe how Elena put it. _"I'm only telling you because I know that you two haven't worked through your stuff."_

I…I…I…I… It was always I. Elena knew what was best so "insert name here" should stay out of it. Never mind the fact that people in the dark almost always got killed. Elena knew what was best so it was time for Stefan to come home. Never mind the fact that him being held hostage by Klaus had not only kept Elena alive but Damon as well. Elena knew what was best so Jeremy had to be compelled to leave town. Never mind the fact that Elena was isolating him in a remote place where none of them would be there to protect him if he needed it and stripping him of his free will. The list went on and on and on.

"I'm so done with this shit!" Bonnie yelled.

The candles lit around the room flared to such a height that Stefan was certain that Bonnie would burn the house down. Seeing her angry was actually kind of hot, and as he couldn't really dispute what she was saying about Elena so he decided not to try. "I would tell you to calm down," Stefan commented, "But this is doing wonders for your powers and I don't even have to lift a finger, so do carry on."

"Fuck you, Stefan," Bonnie said, and her pacing stopped, as she glared in his direction.

"I love it when you talk dirty," Stefan replied. She let out a growl of frustration and exasperation and her powers surged so much the house began to shake. "Before you bring this place down," he said, "Think about things this way...the sooner we stop Klaus the sooner Jeremy can come home. His departure is having a wonderful effect on you so it'll push you in the right direction."

"It obviously isn't working fast enough," Bonnie sighed deflating, "I almost brought this entire house down and still I can't open one damn coffin? It doesn't make any sense. We have to end this one way or another so tell me what I need to do. You said some emotions work better than others, but obviously anger isn't the answer. I mean as much as it pisses me off that we have to go through this, that Klaus gets to affect our lives this way, that I am doubting myself and my friends, nothing is happening, Stefan."

Stefan studied her before he spoke in a cryptic manner. "One thing has always been more effective than others," Stefan revealed, "But you won't like it. Well you actually would…maybe love it even…you know if you weren't so you."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Stop being so cryptic and tell me what the hell that's supposed to mean," she demanded.

"If you want the power to open the coffin then you might just have to let me fuck you," Stefan said bluntly, "Out of all of the emotions that can awaken a witch's power, lust is the most effective."

"You can't be serious," Bonnie said suddenly deflating. When Stefan just stared at her she shook her head. "No," she said, "I'll find another way."

He couldn't possibly want to actually go through with something like that. As much as she had thought about the idea of going to bed with Stefan, she never thought it would actually happen. There was the fact that he was in love with her best friend, even in this state, and then there was the fact that she still had feelings for Jeremy, even after what he had done. Then there was the fact that she didn't trust Stefan at all, and she still was sure he was bullshitting her.

"Come on," Stefan said, "It's just sex. It doesn't have to mean anything. We'll just be accessing your power and having a little fun…well a lot of fun while we're doing it. It's always worked that way with me before, you use me until you awaken your powers and then we go our separate ways, no strings, and since I can't feel anything anymore they'll be no emotional attachment."

"You've done this before?" Bonnie asked, incredulously, "With who?" Her image of Stefan was crumbling more and more by the minute and yet…even with him not being what she had always thought that he was, even with him being well…closer to being Damon than she ever imagined, she was more curious than disappointed. The whole thing was unbelievable. First the ripping, then being besties with Klaus, and now screwing witches to stimulate their powers.

"You really don't want to know the answer to that," Stefan smirked.

Bonnie's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me it was someone I know," she said. Stefan gave her a look. "It was," she said, "More than one person?" He deliberately stared up at the ceiling. Bonnie thought about it and there was one person that made sense, and it wouldn't have really surprised her all that much if it were true. "Emily?"

"That's one," Stefan said, she had caught on quicker that he thought she would, "Out of the one's you know anyway."

"Really," she said, "I would've guessed Damon. She has that whole woman scorned thing happening with him. I kind of got that vibe, you know. Then again she always seemed to like you more."

While this was not a normal conversation by any means, it was taking her mind off Jeremy leaving at the very least. "Someone I know...," Bonnie trailed.

She thought about it, biting her lip and tapping her foot against the musty ground. A witch she knew. Well the only one's she knew outside of her own family were the Martins and as Greta was team Klaus, she was out. There was Lucy, but Bonnie had kind of gotten a weird vibe between Lucy and Katherine and she was pretty sure that something went on there, she really wouldn't put it past Katherine. There wasn't really anyone else, there was her mother, but Bonnie didn't really know her mother and couldn't really remember what she looked like even, so she was out. The only other person that Bonnie could think of was….

"No!" Bonnie shouted, "You wouldn't! _She_ wouldn't! No way!"

"Sheila was a very attractive woman in her day," Stefan smiled, "Still was before she went if you ask me. I really was sorry to see her go. We were very _close_ for a time."

"I need to sit down," Bonnie mumbled, "No, I need to throw up. No, I need a drink."

She began to pace the length of the room. She remembered her Grams wanting to talk to Stefan alone after he brought her home after helping her. She remembered her Grams trusting Stefan over Damon, at the time she had thought that it was because Damon was Damon, but it had apparently been because Stefan was Stefan. Then she thought about her Grams performing the spell that allowed Stefan to leave that stupid tomb, she had all but convinced herself now that she had done it because Bonnie had begged, but now Bonnie thought that perhaps it was because she had…

"Why did you put this into my head?" Bonnie hissed, "I swear I could kill you right now! And how can you sit there and say that you're okay with sleeping with me when you…with my _Grams_!"

"I don't see what either of those things have to do with the other," Stefan shrugged, "I've slept with a lot of people. That has nothing to do with me being open to sleeping with you now, or with the fact that I wanted to before now. Not enough to act on it of course but-"

"Wait?" Bonnie exclaimed, "What?" Stefan opened his mouth to speak but she desperately held up her hands. Stefan without emotions was too straightforward, and while she was guarded most of the time she had shown more emotion in the past five minutes than she had shown anyone in the past five months, which was just wrong. Stefan hadn't only ruined her image of him but now her image of her Grams, which was just, not okay. "Just, please, stop talking," she begged.

Stefan nodded. He watched the emotions play across her face while he wondered when she would notice that she had all the coffins floating in midair around them.

"I have to go," she muttered more to herself than to him, before she walked away without another word.

Stefan wasn't at all surprised when the coffins tumbled to the ground as soon as Bonnie walked out of the basement, slamming the door behind her. While none of the coffins opened, Stefan was most displeased to see the one that they needed to open the most, still intact.

 **:::**

Bonnie was supposed to be at Caroline's birthday celebration but she found herself at home, busting open the contents of her father's liquor cabinet instead.

Why in the fuck was there time to celebrate someone's birthday anyway? People were dying. Klaus was coming after them. Elena was having her new puppy Salvatore compel people to leave town to places even more isolated and unsafe than Mystic Falls where there as no one there to protect them if Klaus found them. Stefan was an emotionless asshole who had sex with people's grandmother's and stole daggered coffin-confined families from sociopathic Original hybrids for shits and giggles. This was not the fucking time to be singing happy birthday and pretending like everything was okay.

No, this was the time, to fuck shit up, this was the time for action. But since Bonnie no longer had the power of one hundred dead witches, and she apparently couldn't access her own powers without Stefan Salvatore's super witch stimulating penis, it was the time for vodka.

However, Bonnie Bennett was notoriously a lightweight, and when a lightweight drinks down a half a bottle of vodka generally things either end in very embarrassing moments that one doesn't remember the next morning, or a lot of vomit, or perhaps a bit of both. And as Bonnie had managed to finish the entire bottle, things were not boding well for her.

It was as Bonnie was tipping the bottle to allow the last drop to drip onto her tongue that she heard the knock on the door. At first she thought that she was imagining it, as even drunk she was aware of the fact that no one ever really came to see her anymore, not unless they wanted something anyway. Even when she was dating Jeremy she had been the one making the trips to the Gilbert house which probably should have told her something but still.

Bonnie stumbled to the door and opened in it. There was a man she didn't recognize on the other side.

The hybrid had just gotten through delivering Klaus' blood to Lockwood, in order to save his girlfriend's life. It seemed that the idiot had finally gotten the message. When he had left Tyler he had been begging for the blonde's forgiveness and had come to the realization that when Klaus said he wouldn't stop targeting the people that he cared about, he wasn't fucking around. Now he was on another errand, to get the witch.

Klaus wanted an audience with the Bennett witch and as he was apparently incapable of doing anything for himself now that he had a growing army of hybrids behind him, he had sent someone to fetch the girl instead of approaching her himself. The hybrid had to admit that Klaus had good taste. She was hot, though she looked drunk already and so he doubted Klaus would have to take the time to wine and dine her like he had planned.

"Who the hell are you?" Bonnie spat, blinking at the stranger.

She was a mean drunk then, perhaps a little effort would be required after all. "Klaus requests an audience with you, Miss Bennett," he said, calmly. He had to do what he was ordered after all. Klaus had said to be charming, pleasant, and whatever he did, not to use force.

"Well I request that Klaus dive head first off the nearest cliff," Bonnie slurred, "We all can't get what we want. Funny how that works." She realized now that he was one of Klaus' hybrids, but in her inebriated state, that didn't really matter. She was drunk, and angry, and sad, and when she wasn't thinking about Stefan offering to screw her, she was thinking about him actually screwing her Grams, and really _she_ just wanted to jump off the nearest cliff.

"Klaus always gets what he wants," the hybrid said. He was unable to not be offended by her tone and his stance became threatening. No one talked about Klaus like that, no one.

Just as the hybrid's face began to distort, a hand shot through his body and pulled out his heart. Bonnie watched through blurred vision as the hybrid fell to the ground. She looked up to see the culprit and wasn't too surprised to see Stefan. "You keep saving me," Bonnie said, "I'm kinda glad."

"You're probably the only one," Stefan said, thinking of first Damon and then of Elena. Both of whom didn't think that the outcome of his actions to save them were worth them staying alive apparently. He wondered what would happen if he let them both die next time, too bad he was still too much of himself to see it play out.

"You got blood all over my porch," Bonnie said as she watched him drop the heart. She wondered if it would leave a stain. If her dad ever decided to come home she wouldn't have been able to explain it. Other than that in her drunken state seeing the body didn't really bother her.

"You're drunk," Stefan stated, looking amused.

"It's your fault," Bonnie growled, "You're the one who told me all those things and now I can't stop thinking about it….I don't get it…I mean you're hot and you're you but you're still a vampire so I don't get why they would let you touch them."

Stefan raised a brow as he leaned against her door frame. "What do you mean by I'm me?" He asked curiously. He had come by to try his hand at persuading her again but she was drunk and even if she agreed she wouldn't stick to it in the morning so that was out. Still that old house and its spirits were making him a little stir crazy, so it was good to get some air.

"You know," Bonnie said, "You're Stefan. Southern gentlemen. Savior. Martyr. Saint. I know Damon makes fun of you but you're kind of a good person if you squint really hard and forget about the whole ripping and sleeping with people's grandmother's thing. I mean…I helped Elena save you so many times because I kind of thought that Elena was right and you were worth it. But still...the more I learn about you the more I have to wonder what the hell all of the fuss is about."

"I could show you," Stefan offered.

Bonnie considered this. It was the only way that she could ever find out or even hope to understand, at least that was what her vodka addled brain told her. "Alright fine," Bonnie said, "One kiss. If you can prove your point, and live up to all the hype I will consider going through with this plan of yours. You know the whole fucking for the greater good thing."

Stefan grinned but nodded, deciding that he liked Bonnie drunk. "Alright," he said, "One kiss. Then we can fuck for the greater good."

"I wouldn't be so sure that it will happen if I were you," she said. She didn't bother leaving the safety of her doorway. She wasn't about to invite him in either, she was drunk, not stupid. She simply leaned forward enough, to be within reach. "Alright," she said, "Lay it on me."

Stefan laughed as he stepped over the hybrid's body. He took Bonnie's face in his hands and leaned forward bringing their lips together. Even in the state he was in, he half expected to feel some inkling of guilt at what he was doing but there was none.

When their lips touched, Stefan felt something, he wasn't sure what it was, as he was too caught up in the act of actually feeling to analyze it. Still, her lips were soft, she smelled sweet, tasted better. Even when his tongue slipped into her mouth and he was able to taste the bitterness of the vodka she had drunk, her own taste still overpowered it. The kiss was slow and languid, as he massaged her tongue with his, savoring her taste.

He had always, somewhere in the back of his mind, wondered how she would taste. While he couldn't put a name to it, he found it addicting. When he felt her power rising to the surface he couldn't help but smile into her mouth as a raw burst of energy caused the glass in her living room window to shatter.

Stefan wasn't surprised when she leapt away from him. She looked at the shattered glass in shock and a moment later it was back in place as if it had never happened. "Now do you understand," Stefan said, trying to hide the fact that he was impressed. It hadn't been like this with the others. He had hadn't been able to feel so much of what they were feeling. So much of their power.

Fear, anxiety, anger, shame, and arousal, seemed to sweat out of every pore in Bonnie's body. He could smell it, taste it. Her pulse was beating rapidly and he wanted to kiss her again. To keep kissing her until she invited him into her home and into her bed.

Bonnie met his eyes once, before looking down and shaking her head, he knew what was coming before she said it. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, "I don't really see what all the fuss is about. In fact…I've had better." Stefan blinked at her not even bothering to respond, and she continued. "Make sure you get rid of this body," she ordered gesturing toward the slain hybrid, "And clean the blood off my porch. I have neighbors that aren't used to seeing murder scenes so I'd rather not cause them to talk."

Stefan rolled his eyes as she slammed the door in his face. He wasn't worried. She wasn't the first to resist him at first. He was already getting a reaction from her and this was only beginning.


	2. PART TWO: UNWANTED

**Title:** Emote

 **Rating:** M

 **Genre:** AU/Supernatural/Humor/Romance

 **Pairing(s):** Bonnie/Stefan, Bonnie/Klaus, Matt/Rebekah, Tyler/Caroline, Abby/Finn, Kol/Lucy, Elijah/Katherine, mentions of Damon/Elena, past Stefan/Emily, past Stefan/Sheila, past Klaus/Ayanna, past Klaus/Gloria, past Klaus/Greta.

 **Summary:** Stefan Salvatore finds it much easier to sin now that he cannot feel emotion. The only thing that he can want now is to make Klaus suffer. The only person that can help him do that is Bonnie Bennett. But she has no faith in her powers anymore, and he has no will to help her restore it. But he knows that all power has a stimulus, and for a witch, power is tied to emotion. So even without a will to feel of his own, he plans on provoking any emotion in Bonnie that he can in any way that he can to bring the power she is too scared to use now to the surface. Fear is good. Anger works better. But the emotion with the highest success rate is lust. But what happens when Klaus discovers Stefan's methods and finds reason to want to make use of the Bennett witch himself. _Set During 3x10._

 **PART TWO: UNWANTED**

" _Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary."_ **~Mark Twain**

Tyler Lockwood sighed as he answered yet another one of Klaus' questions. He still couldn't believe that he had missed Caroline's birthday in order to spend the entire night talking to Klaus about Bonnie Bennett of all things.

Tyler was more than a little suspicious about Klaus' interest in the witch but the sire bond being in place made it impossible for Tyler to deny him. Still he found solace in the fact that he wasn't really throwing his girlfriend's best friend under the bus completely as he didn't know all that much about Bonnie. Even though he considered her a friend, it wasn't as if they talked much or hung out one on one.

Tyler sat across from Klaus in his unfinished manor and finally asked his sire a question that had been burning in his mind since Klaus summoned him. It was the thought that he could possibly get Klaus to trust him long enough to give him the answer that had kept Tyler from leaving and fighting against giving Klaus information.

In spite of his loyalty to Klaus, there was still his love for Caroline, and if Klaus wanted to know about her best friend then Tyler would tell her and if he could he would give her a reason. "Why are you suddenly so interested in Bonnie?" He asked.

"Perhaps if I trusted you I would let you in on that little secret," Klaus replied.

Tyler wasn't really offended that Klaus didn't trust him. In truth, even with the sire bond he had no real reason to.

 **:::**

 _Bonnie stood in the basement of the decrepit house that still held the spirit of the witches that had been burned there. There were candles everywhere, the white dress that she wore seeming to glow against her skin in the soft light._

 _The sealed coffin sat in front of her, unmoving as she held her hands over it reciting the spell that should've caused it to open. It remained shut and Bonnie stomped her bare feet in frustration. She stilled when she felt arms wrap around her from behind, and she was pulled into a hard body. She reached behind her hesitantly and her hands came in contact with a bare chest. Frowning Bonnie moved to turn around but the arms locked around her preventing the motion._

" _Keep trying," a voice whispered into her ear. She recognized the voice immediately, as Stefan._

 _Bonnie swallowed as he trailed kisses from her neck to her collar bone to her shoulder and then back up again. Still she held out her arms and began the spell again. Stefan touched her as if he had done so a million times before. His hands moving over her body through the material of her dress, his tongue tasting the skin of neck._

 _Bonnie held her breath. She hadn't meant to give any reaction. Her mind was telling her to keep reciting and to pay Stefan no mind, but her body was unable to follow instructions it seemed. She had to force the words of the spell to leave her lips and she had to force herself to keep her concentration in regards to her powers, but her reactions to Stefan were something she had no control over._

 _As much as Bonnie tried to remain unaffected, there was something pulling her in the opposite direction. She tried to force her body to remain rigid, but instead it seem to melt into his touch, welcoming it. It wasn't something that she did consciously; the hitch in her breathing, the surge in her power, the quickening of her pulse, it was all instinctual._

 _Bonnie's eyes closed as she felt Stefan lower the zipper on the back of the dress that she was wearing. The candles around them began to flicker, as he slid the straps of the dress down her shoulders and it fell to the floor in a pool at her feet. Still the coffin remain closed. "It's not enough," Bonnie whispered, stopping her attempt at the spell._

" _It's a good thing we're just getting started then," Stefan shrugged, "There's plenty more power where that came from."_

 _Bonnie did turn to face him then, stepping out of her dress as she did so, seemingly unembarrassed to be standing in front of him in only her panties and bra. "What makes you so sure?" She asked._

" _I'm an experienced man when it comes to witches," Stefan commented, "Or did you forget?"_

 _She watched as he unbuttoned his jeans, resisting the urge to run her hands down his chest. "Do you really think that reminding me that you've slept with people I'm related to will get me in the mood?" She blinked at him._

" _You're already in the mood," he said, "I can read you now. Every subtle little detail, or did you forget that too?"  
Bonnie frowned, even as she closed her eyes in anticipation as he leaned in to kiss her. He stopped moving just before their lips touched and Bonnie sighed in frustration. She knew what he was doing. He wanted her to close the distance between them, to prove a point. She wanted him and they both knew it, and this was his way of making her admit it without her having to say it out loud. _

_A moment later Bonnie was standing on her toes and closing the gap between them. Even knowing how smug he was about the whole thing she couldn't help but kiss him hungrily. Even as his hands reached down and grabbed her ass to pull her closer to him, she kept her hands at her sides. She wouldn't touch him, if she touched him it would be another battle that he have won in the unspoken war that was between them each time they came together this way._

 _Bonnie's eyes opened as she pulled back in from him in order to breathe, and she was horrified by what she saw. It was no longer Stefan that was standing before her shirtless with his hands on her but Klaus. His blue eyes danced as he raised a brow at her. "Have you figured it out yet?" He asked._

 _Bonnie moved to get away from the attack that always seem to come after those words but he was too fast. However, this time, instead of his fangs buried in her neck, Bonnie found that his lips were being pressed hard against her own. At first she fought against him, but settled surprisingly easily when she felt Stefan's presence behind her suddenly his hands on her shoulders. "There's a good girl," Stefan whispered as Bonnie opened her mouth and allowed Klaus' tongue to sweep inside._

 _She was embarrassed by the sound of protest she made when Klaus pulled away from her. She wasn't sure what was happening or where Klaus had come from but her magic was responding to him, to both of them. "Whatever you're trying to do," Bonnie said, not knowing which one of them she was talking to, "This isn't going to work."_

 _Ignoring her Klaus knelt down on his knees. Bonnie's eyes widened at the sight, but then shut as his hands found her hips and he began to kiss his way down her stomach._

" _Try the spell again," Stefan whispered._

 _Bonnie did as she was told as Stefan's lips found her neck again, if only to stop herself from having to process what was happening. She had to push the words of the spell from her lips, the sensations humming through her body making it that much harder. The flames of the candles reached a dangerous height as Bonnie felt Stefan unhook her bra._

 _As the words ended on the Bonnie's lips her concentration shot, the lid to the coffin began to creak open._

Bonnie Bennett had forgotten all about missing her best friend's birthday until she woke up from what had to be the most traumatizing dream that she had ever had in all of her seventeen years to a call from Elena Gilbert regarding her absence. She didn't know where the hell that dream had come from and for the first time she began to doubt that the spirits had sent the ones she had had prior.

Bonnie half listened to Elena ramble on, as she felt guilt at not only having kissed Elena's ex-boyfriend, but in having a semi-erotic dream involving not just said ex-boyfriend, but Klaus as well, of all the monsters she could have had a nightmare about. She felt even guiltier when the pounding in her head and the dryness of her mouth made her want to hang up on her friend. But Bonnie let go of her guilt and embraced her anger when she remembered why she had been drinking in the first place.

Bonnie knew for a fact that Caroline had no interest in celebrating her birthday as she had been upset about not being able to grow old of all things, but Elena had been determined to change the blonde's mind, and apparently if Bonnie had been there it would have all gone so well. But Bonnie had wanted no part of it, as it was yet another example of Elena policing someone's life, even if in this case it wasn't a life or death situation involved.

Bonnie was hung-over and tired, and she really didn't feel like dealing with Elena's bullshit wrath about the whole missing Caroline's birthday, especially when none of them would remember her birthday next time it came around, just as they had conveniently forgotten last year. Bonnie gave some bullshit excuse before hanging up the phone and getting back into bed, though she doubted after the dream she had woken up from that she would end up going back to sleep anytime soon.

However, as soon as Bonnie's head hit the pillow her phone went off once more. She was about to move to turn the phone off but saw that it was Caroline and answered it.

"Hurry up and get in the shower," Caroline's voice said into Bonnie's ear as soon as she answered the call, "We don't have much time."

Bonnie frowned and rolled her eyes. "Time for what?" Bonnie asked, "I feel like shit so I'm not going to school today."

"Meaning," Caroline said, "You're upset that Elena sent Jeremy packing and you're going to mope around the house eating ice cream all day. But you don't get to be self-deprecating today. I think not. After missing my birthday which just so happened to be the most boring and unwanted celebration known to man, you owe me big time.

"I mean I can't believe you let Elena plan a party. I mean never mind the fact that I was in no mood to celebrate, its Elena, we both know she is the worst party planner ever. I mean who the hell celebrates their birthday in a crypt. Yes, her intentions were good because the whole, me saying goodbye to my old life thing was something I kind of needed to do, but seriously? There were spiders, Bonnie! Huge spiders! And to top it all off Tyler never even showed up. Okay so maybe he had a good reason because he was trying to figure out the whole sired thing with my dad, but who has a birthday party without their boyfriend there? And really it wasn't even a party. I know parties, I plan the best parties. This is my eighteenth birthday so everyone expected a blow out and they got nothing because I had to be in this stupid funk. But I am better now and I have a reputation to uphold. So you are going to listen to me and get your ass in the shower. Besides, I never said anything about going to school."

Bonnie ignored Caroline's diatribe about Jeremy and a list of other things she really didn't care enough to ask about. She was still pissed about Jeremy being shipped off to no man's land and still wanted to tell him the truth about what Elena had done but she had come to accept the fact that she couldn't control everything, and unlike Elena, she wasn't going to try to. She would let it all play out and when it blew up in Elena's face Bonnie hoped the girl would learn her lesson, though she never did.

"I'm listening," Bonnie said, getting out of bed and accepting the fact that she was now up for the day.

"We are going to have a girl's day out and you are going to buy me the most amazing birthday present ever and we are going to throw the biggest party this town has ever see. I mean people expect more from me than a night out in a crypt. If I can't pull off my own birthday party I will never get voted to be the head of any event planning committee ever again," Caroline told her.

"But you never get voted," Bonnie pointed out, "You usually just appoint yourself head." At least Caroline was back to normal. Still, as the dream replayed itself in her head, only to be shut out by the image of her kissing Stefan, Bonnie knew that she was in no way going to be able to handle a girl's day.

"Oh just shut up and get ready," Caroline said, "We have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Bonnie sighed. She wasn't in the mood for a day out. She wanted to crawl up in a ball and eat greasy food and pop aspirin, then watch television all day. But still, it was better than school, she had missed Caroline's birthday, and it would keep her mind off of her worsening dreams and whatever was going on between her and Stefan. "Alright," Bonnie said, "I'm in."

 **:::**

Elena Gilbert sat down next to Damon Salvatore on the couch in the living room of the Salvatore Boardinghouse. This war between Stefan and Klaus had to end, they both knew it. It would be one thing if it was leading to Klaus' demise, but so far it was just pissing Klaus off.

However, Stefan was no longer letting anyone in and he was out of control, and therefore unable to be reasoned with. "If we could just figure out what was inside of the other coffin," Elena said, "We could figure out if it could help us kill Klaus."

"Well it can't be opened," Damon said, "And frankly, if my little brother hadn't taken it upon himself to first save Klaus and then steal his family the friendly neighborhood hybrid would be either dead or out of town by now. He wouldn't be our problem."

Elena huffed crossing her arms over her chest. She needed to get to school, and really it wasn't a good idea to be alone with him after what had happened between the two of them. But Elena had come up with a plan, a plan to find out what was in the coffin and a plan to figure out if Klaus could be killed. They knew where the coffins were and there was still someone who could help them. Klaus had Rebekah back so she was out, but there was someone else that Elena felt that she could trust, especially after she revealed to him what Klaus had done to his own mother.

Elena had planned on going to Damon with her idea on asking for assistance but the more she thought about it the more she knew that coming to Damon had been a bad choice for more reason than one. She would have to go this one alone.

"I have to go to school," Elena said, even knowing that she would be heading toward the house where the witches had been burned instead. She stood and Damon raised an eyebrow at her. She looked at him expectantly, a frown marring her features.

"What?" Damon asked, "No kiss goodbye."

Elena winced, her guilt coming back to her full force, which was likely to be Damon's objective. Yes, she would definitely have to do this alone. "Goodbye Damon," she said.

As he watched her go, he thought that he heard a double meaning to her statement but as with most things concerning Elena that he didn't want to face, he ignored it.

 **:::**

Stefan Salvatore was sitting on her porch steps when Bonnie Bennett came out of her house so that she could wait for Caroline to arrive. She shouldn't have been surprised to see him but she was. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she thought about the kiss the night before, and then she had to fight the urge to bang her head against the side of her house as she once again thought of the dream she couldn't make herself forget.

It was bad enough that she had gotten drunk, but the fact that she had actually allowed him to kiss her… Drunk or not Bonnie had more sense than that. She knew better, just like she knew better than to dwell on a dream that was likely just the side effect of alcohol. Gratefully, however, she couldn't remember the kiss entirely, and that did wonders for the guilt that she felt that she probably shouldn't have felt.

She and Stefan were both single after all. Even though there was the matter of Elena and Jeremy, Elena was seemingly moving on with Damon and Jeremy had apparently always been in love with Anna. But that didn't matter really, Bonnie wasn't fooling herself. She knew that her feelings for Jeremy had not disappeared with the unspoken end of their relationship and when it was all said and done, once Stefan could feel, and even when he wasn't allowing himself to, it was Elena that he loved.

And she wasn't like Stefan, she didn't have a switch that she could use to turn everything off, and if she got involved with Stefan physically no matter the reason, things would get emotional and messy. Hell, as far as she was concerned things were already messy.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie asked as she turned to lock the door behind her.

Stefan kept his seat on the porch not turning around. "Do I need a reason to be here?" he asked, "I mean I am your new partner in crime, right?"

"Yes," Bonnie said, walking across the porch and sitting down next to him on the steps, "So I assume you're here to talk business as there would be no other reason you'd come." She sat as far away from him as possible and avoided eye contact, neither action surprised him.

"There are plenty of others reasons I'd want to see you," Stefan said, turning his head to face her even as she stared straight ahead, "Especially, after I found out how good you tasted last night." He smirked at the look on her face. She was always good for getting a reaction.

Bonnie winced, of course he would bring up the kiss. She wasn't sure why she expected any different, especially given the state he was currently in. Bonnie coughed loudly, clearing her throat. She turned to him, her eyes hard. " _Why are you here_?" She asked again, speaking slowly as if talking to a child.

"We need to move the sealed coffin," he said, "Elena was at the Boardinghouse this morning and I have a feeling that she's about to do something stupid."

While the spirits were hiding the coffins from Klaus, Bonnie didn't know if they would hide them from Elena or Damon, if they decided one or both were not a threat. The spirits always did as they pleased and right now they had more control over what happened to the coffins than Bonnie or Stefan did.

That was a bad thing, especially considering both Elena and Damon knew where to find the coffins. The witches might've hated Damon, Emily in particular, but the right words of persuasion or a well-placed threat could cause the witches to choose to reveal their secret.

"So basically Elena and/or Damon has a plan that is bound to fail and so you want to head them off before it does," Bonnie stated. Her anger over Jeremy's departure made it easier for her to talk about Elena in such a manner, and it was allowing her to keep her guilt at bay and so she clung to it. Still anger or no, she was right about Elena.

"Bingo," Stefan nodded, "You were always smarter than everyone gave you credit for."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. He smirked and edged closer to her, and as she was basically as far from him as possible on the narrow steps, there was nowhere for her to run. "So since you can obviously carry the coffin by yourself," she said, "I am assuming you're looking for a hiding place. Somewhere, only the two of us would think to look, or would have open access to."

"Exactly," Stefan said, "Which is why I brought it here. I mean Damon isn't invited in and really, when is the last time anyone has actually come to see you?" Bonnie scowled and looked away from him again. "As far as anyone knows," Stefan continued, in spite of having pissed her off, "I am done working with any of you and so no one has a reason to look here."

"There is a problem with your plan," Bonnie said, "It will require me to invite you into my house if you want open access to the coffin and that is not something I'm comfortable with doing."

Stefan placed his hand on her jean clad knee and leaned in so that he could whisper into her ear. "Well," he reasoned, "Seeing as we are going to be working rather _closely_ together in order to get the coffin open, I don't think that you have a real choice. So I _suggest_ you get comfortable."

There was really no room to question the implication of his words. Bonnie bit bottom lip and cursed her raging pulse. "That hasn't been decided yet," she said, "I mean, if I remember correctly, I wasn't very impressed by your performance. If you can't get any reaction out of me with a kiss, I don't see it going any further than that. So I _suggest_ you come up with another plan."

"You would just love for me to give up that easily, wouldn't you?" Stefan asked. Even now, he could tell that she wanted to run. She was practically begging for him to let her leave, to escape the situation. Stefan knew that if he wasn't persistent that they would never get anywhere.

"Considering I don't want any part of your little plan," Bonnie sighed, "Yes, I would."

"You can say what you want, Bonnie," Stefan said seriously, his hand moving up her knee and resting on her thigh, "But you're reacting to me even now. You're fighting it but we both know it's a lost cause."  
"I don't know that," Bonnie protested.

Stefan squeezed her thigh, and placed a closed mouth kiss on her neck that caused her to shudder. "Then why," he asked, "Haven't you pushed my hand away yet?"

Bonnie stood abruptly, coming to her senses. Stefan's face was smug as she looked down at him and she wanted so much to give him an aneurism but with Caroline on the way she needed him out of sight more than she needed him in pain.

She climbed up the steps and walked back toward her front door. "Caroline is coming so you need to lay low in the house until we leave," she said, her tone businesslike, "You can bring the coffins in through the back. If you bring one then you may as well bring them all. There should be enough room in the basement. You don't have to worry about anyone coming. I have plenty of protection spells on this place. It's locked down tighter than Grams' house. No one's coming in unless I want them to come in."

Stefan stood and followed her, standing close behind her as he watched her unlock the door. Pursuing her was more fun than he thought it would be. She wasn't the first to fight him, but the others had given in quickly. Every woman he pursued gave in quickly. He had forgotten how much he liked the chase. "Since you're about to invite me in," Stefan said, "I guess it's safe to assume you want me here then."

He hadn't told her yet, but he wasn't planning on moving in the coffins and then heading off on his merry little way. Staying in an old house full of witch spirits was unpleasant, and there was no way that he was going back to the boardinghouse. He had better things to do than watch his brother be ungrateful to him for saving his life, and witnessing the same brother going after his ex-girlfriend. Staying at Bonnie's house was the best option, he could escape the endless drama that his brother and Elena brought, focus on his plan to destroy Klaus, and have access to Bonnie at the same time. It was perfect. He just hoped Bonnie didn't think of his possible motives herself before she invited him in.

"If you want to stay alive long enough to witness Klaus' demise as much as you claim you do," Bonnie said, as her front door swung open, "Then you should really shut the hell up."

"Yes, mam," Stefan said, holding up his hands in a defensive manner.

Bonnie walked into her house and turn around to face Stefan, standing in the doorway. Everything in her wanted to send him flying across the street. She knew that if she invited him in then that meant agreeing to not only work with him, but also agreeing to his plan. A plan that she didn't find as repulsive as she had when he had first purposed it. Still there was a chance they could find another way. And if they couldn't Klaus dying would make it all worth it, wouldn't it?

Bonnie shook her head, deciding not to overthink things. It was too late to turn back now, and while Stefan was amiable now, he was obviously unpredictable. Who knew what he would do if she backed out on him. "Come in," Bonnie muttered, taking a step back.

Stefan walked over the threshold, closing the door behind him as he did so. Bonnie made a face at him and he rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me like that," he said, "Be polite. I'm your guest."

Bonnie huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I invited you in and you're still alive," she said, "That's good enough. Now move…Caroline will be here soon."

"But," he reasoned, gesturing with his hands, "She's not here yet. So that means that we have some time to have a little fun before she gets here." Bonnie, opened her mouth to protest, but the next second he grabbed her shoulders and switched their positions. She found herself trapped between Stefan and her front door before she could blink. "I mean, I know you found me unimpressive last night," now his tone held an edge of sarcasm, "But I'm a whole other experience when you're sober, in the light of day."  
She was sure that he was. Of course the experience would be different in the light of day, because it would be harder to black it out, to make excuses, and to deny her reactions to him. But that was what he wanted. "I'm not interested," Bonnie stated.

Stefan didn't move from his position looming over her. He had never met someone so responsive to him without meaning to be. He could get a response without deliberately trying. His very presence was making her power thrum through her body, and yet she was still denying it. "You can control your words," he whispered, "What you say, but that doesn't mean I'll pay attention. Do you know what I'm paying attention to Bonnie?"

Bonnie didn't answer, but even she knew that she wasn't doing the best job at hiding her attraction to him. But even if she was attracted to him, it didn't mean that she would act on it.

"I'm paying attention to the things that you're telling me without words," he continued, even though she had said nothing to prompt his words, "Your pupils dilating, your heart racing, your power coming to the surface, and I bet if I leaned in just a bit…" Stefan leaned down, his eyes on her lips. Bonnie's eyes closed in anticipation. He stopped just before their lips touched however, and waited. He almost laughed when Bonnie's hands clenched into fist. "All you have to do it come the rest of the way," he told her, his lips brushing gently against hers as he spoke.

She let out something that sounded close to a whine, and Stefan let her conflicting emotions surround him. The shame, guilt, and desperate need, he could no longer feel, causing the lights in her formerly darkened home to flicker on and off. "Hate's not bad, and fear is good, remember?" Stefan said, "Anger….now that's better…but nothing works…"

"Better than lust," Bonnie swallowed.

"There's a smart girl," Stefan said, his tone placating as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm really starting to hate it when you talk," Bonnie breathed, "I used to think you were smart but now I realize you're just an entitled asshole." An entitled asshole that her friend was in love with. An entitled asshole that had bedded her grandmother. An entitled asshole that had gotten them into this mess in the first place. An entitled asshole that she dreamed about having threesomes with. An entitled asshole that she really wanted to kiss. She could feel the moment Stefan moved to speak. "Don't talk," she hissed, "I mean it."

"If you want me to stop talking," Stefan said, his tone antagonizing, "Shut. Me. Up."

Bonnie raised her hand to send him flying across the room, but instead she found herself grabbing the front of Stefan's shirt and pulling him down until their lips finally met. She hadn't meant to do it, it hadn't been what she had wanted to want to do, but it was and that scared her.

Suddenly the sound of a car horn could be heard from Bonnie's drive way and she knew that it was Caroline. She pushed Stefan away from her and glared at him more fiercely than she had the first time she had seen him the day she had returned to Mystic Falls after her grandmother's death. "Be gone when I get back," she said.

"That's the thanks that I get after giving you such a sweet kiss goodbye?" Stefan asked.

Bonnie's rage caused her powers to surge and all of the lights in her house turned on the bulbs burning brightly until they shattered. Bonnie ran a hand over her face and took a deep breath to calm herself. "I mean it," she spat.

Stefan nodded, giving his acquiescence even as he planned to do otherwise. "I'll give you a break if that's what you want," he said.

"Thank you," Bonnie muttered, relieved. She opened the door and practically ran out without looking back.

 **:::**

By the time Elena got to the house that held the witch spirits, the only coffin left was the one that she had been looking for. As Stefan no longer trusted her or Damon anymore she wasn't surprised that he had moved the coffins. As much as Stefan's rejection, behavior, and mistrust hurt Elena; this time it was working to her advantage.

She walked over to the coffin and opened the lid. She stared down at that man inside. She knew that she had to act fast before Stefan returned for the last coffin. Stefan's methods obviously weren't working. While Klaus was suffering and pining over his family, that didn't stop him from threatening and going after the people that she cared about. If anything it had made things worse.

But once Elijah was awake, he would take care of Klaus, or at the very least keep him in line for Elena's sake. Even if things backfired, she had to try. The quicker they got rid of Klaus, the quicker that they would all be free. She would have Stefan back. Jeremy would be able to come home. Tyler would be free from the sire bond. Everything would be back to normal. Making up her mind, Elena pulled the dagger from Elijah's chest.

Elena waited until she saw his eyes open and he took in the fact that she was the one that had woken him.

Elijah Mikaelson was surprised to see that Elena Gilbert was the first person that he saw when he opened his eyes after he had been un-daggered. They hadn't parted on the best to terms the last time he had seen her, he had betrayed her and he wondered at her motives for waking him.

"To what do I owe this honor?" He asked as he looked up at her, his words having a sarcastic edge.

"I need your help," Elena said simply, her tone flat, "I need to get rid of Klaus and this time I need you to see it through."

Elijah raised a brow at her as she tossed a blood bag onto his chest. He had figured his brother was the motivation behind Elena's choice to wake him. "And why would I do that?" He asked. He might be fond of her, but his loyalty lied with his family and that was something she should have realized by now.

"Because he is the one that killed your mother," Elena said, "Not Mikael, and because he's the reason that Stefan kidnapped the rest of your family and refuses to let them go. You let Klaus go for your family. Stefan wants Klaus gone, you help us get rid of him and you'll have your family back."

Elena knew that she had Elijah's attention. He sat up in the coffin, his face seemingly blank. However, what Elena didn't realize was that Elijah was calculating. He was uncertain of whether or not he could trust her. He knew that she would have no qualms lying to him after he betrayed her, especially if it got rid of his brother in the process. But his family was at stake and if Stefan had them then that would be a problem.

As far as Elijah was concerned, he would get the family that he had back first even if he did have to team up with his brother to do so. Then, later, once the others were awake, if need be, they would all take care of Klaus together. If Klaus had followed through with his plans to sustain Stefan on a diet of human blood, then Elijah knew that the Salvatore was likely disenfranchised from the group, which would mean he would lack protection, which would make him a rather easy target.

Elijah smiled disarmingly at Elena. All he needed now was information. "Tell me, Miss Gilbert," he said, "What exactly have I missed?"

 **:::**

Bonnie tried to be enthusiastic about the whole party planning thing but she couldn't bring herself to even force the enthusiasm. Her mind kept straying to Stefan. She wished that Caroline fretting over whether to go with a DJ or a live music could keep her mind off of things, but really Bonnie was completely zoned out.

She wasn't surprised, as she sat across from Caroline at a diner, just outside of town where they had ended up after going shopping, that the girl was giving her weird looks. "If you want to say something just say it," Bonnie sighed.

Caroline frowned. There was a lot she wanted to say. At first she had thought that Bonnie was pouting over Jeremy leaving but if what she had overheard when she went to pick Bonnie up was any indication, she was obviously wrong. Then there was the matter of what Tyler had revealed to her just before she had showed up at Bonnie's house. "I wasn't going to say anything," Caroline said, "Because I didn't want to ruin our day, but it's kind of a bust anyway since you're so distracted so…"

"I'm sorry," Bonnie said sincerely, "I tried, but I am just….there's a lot going on with me right now. Things I can't explain entirely, but its fine. What do you want to tell me?"

"Tyler," Caroline began, "He's been working with my dad on the sired bond thing you know…but…well he saw Klaus yesterday."

Bonnie immediately looked concerned. She was actually a little relieved to be worried about someone else's problems others than her own, even though she was genuinely worried. "What happened?" Bonnie asked, "He didn't try to make him hurt anyone else did he? I mean after Jeremy-"

"No," Caroline said quickly, shaking her head, "It's not that." Bonnie raised a brow and looked at her expectantly when she didn't continued. Caroline sighed. She didn't really know how to say what she was about to say. "Look," she said, "When Tyler was with Klaus…he asked about you…a lot. Tyler said that he seemed very _interested_."

Bonnie flushed, thinking of her dream, and then shook her head. "In my powers," she supplied, when Caroline ended there.

Caroline looked down at her food and picked at the French fries on her plate. "In you," she said, after a moment, "Not your powers. Just you."

Bonnie's brows furrowed in confusion. "That doesn't make sense," she said, "Why would he be interested in me?" In spite of what her subconscious was putting in her head while she slept, Bonnie knew that Klaus had as much reason to be interested her as Stefan had in bedding Sherriff Forbes. Though, now that Bonnie thought about it, seeing as he had bedded her Grams; that was a bad analogy.

"Okay," Caroline sighed, "I get that you don't have much experience with guys and you're still not over what happened with Jeremy but really I am not going to let you sit there and act like it's some bizarre phenomenon for a man to be interested in you for something other than your powers. I mean you're hot, you're loyal, you're brave, and you'll go to hell back for the people you love. If I wasn't with Tyler then I would totally date you. You know if I had those types of _inclinations_."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't go for you," she said, "You're too high maintenance." Caroline looked offended but Bonnie merely took a sip of her milkshake and looked back at her innocently.

"Just be careful," Caroline muttered, "Elena told me you've been having dreams about Klaus, so maybe they're a warning."

"They don't mean anything," Bonnie frowned, embarrassed, "He's not interested in me. Besides it's me, I'm always careful."

Caroline decided to bite the bullet and confront her about what she had overheard. "Well," she said, "Considering the fact that an emotionally deprived Stefan Salvatore somehow won himself an invitation into your house I don't agree with that last statement." Bonnie opened her mouth to deny the accusation and Caroline held up her hand. "Before you deny anything," she said, "Let me remind you that as a vampire I kind of have super hearing so you can't really hide all that much from me. And yes I blew my car horn at that particular moment for a reason."

Bonnie slumped down in her seat. She wanted to crawl into a corner and disappear. At least Caroline didn't seem to be acting particularly judgmental. However, Bonnie knew that she would have to cover her tracks. "How much did you hear?" She asked.

"Enough to know that Stefan has no qualms with propositioning you now that his switch was flipped," Caroline huffed, "I mean, I saw him sneak and check you out a couple of times before, even when he and Elena were a thing-"

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked. She knew that Stefan had mentioned wanting to sleep with her before but she hadn't taken him seriously.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I forgot how oblivious you can be sometimes," she said, "Especially about guys. I mean I know Stefan and Elena loved each other and whatever but he's a guy. Stefan's checked me out before too, but I think he was just curious. It's not like with you. I mean you could tell that he _really_ thought about it you know, on the rare occasion he stopped being a saint long enough to let himself. But you know how Stefan is, he wasn't obvious about it. Very low key. And well…Elena was kind of too busy pretending not to pay attention to Damon to notice. Speaking of which, I totally thought that out of the two of them Damon would be the one to have the balls to go for you first. I mean he's practically begging for hate sex every time you two snark at each other."  
Bonnie's eyes widened. "What?!" she nearly screamed, "Damon?"  
Caroline sighed. "Seriously, Bonnie?" she said, "He sleeps with everyone, so you have to have at least realized that he's thought about it. I mean sometimes when he stares at you I kind of fear for your maidenhood. Matt even said that he's pretty sure Damon wants to get you into bed just to knock you down a peg or two if nothing else. You know cause he thinks you're all high and mighty or whatever. Though, now that I think about it, Stefan is kind of acting worse than Damon at the moment so it makes sense that he would throw caution to the wind and have the balls to go for you now. But we should really keep this from Damon because, well he kind of wants what Stefan has, and I am pretty sure he's had some bondage fantasies about you anyway so-"

"If you don't stop talking, I am going to stab you with my fork," Bonnie said, "Then use it to gauge your eyes out and set you on fire." It was bad enough she had Stefan, and now apparently Klaus to deal with, she didn't need to think about Damon and bondage. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said, "Seriously, Care, let's just pretend this conversation never happened and be grateful that I wasn't taking anything you just said seriously."

Caroline shrugged. "Fine," she said, "Stay in denial. And since you're obviously not going to tell me what is going on with you and Stefan I will drop it…for now. But you really need to look out for Klaus. Tyler says he has a track record with witches, and well…he was kind of all in your personal space on senior prank night. And considering I am pretty sure he would kill someone for stepping on his toe, I am thinking there's a reason why you're still alive even though right now you're his biggest threat. That coupled with your dreams spells trouble."

"It's nothing," Bonnie said, "You're being dramatic as usual and you're seeing things that aren't there."

"Fine," Caroline said, "I know you're smart and with the way you feel about the Salvatore at the best of times I doubt Stefan will even be able to get close to you. But if you invited him in your house I'm assuming something is going on there. Just remember that Elena won't be happy if you get mixed up with Stefan when he's like this, and this Stefan can't be trusted."

"I know all this. I didn't even trust Stefan before, and I have no reason to trust him now. There's nothing to worry about," Bonnie insisted. It was the truth, but Bonnie knew that trust and attraction had nothing to do with one another.

Caroline shook her head. "Okay there's nothing to worry about," she said, "But you know…if you end up in some weird triangle between Stefan and Klaus don't say I didn't warn you. Although….before all this happened those two were friends right. So you know…they might just be nice and share you."

Bonnie ran hand over her face and stood. "I have to go to the bathroom," she lied. She wanted to cry. She knew that Caroline was joking and hoping to lighten the mood but as far as Bonnie was concerned, it wasn't funny, it wasn't funny at all.

She had gone from mourning over the loss of her relationship with Jeremy, to fighting an attraction to Stefan, and dreaming of Klaus almost overnight. It wasn't as if her feelings for Jeremy had disappeared but that just made it worse. As did the feelings that Bonnie was sure Stefan still had for Elena. Even without those factors, Stefan being what he was and acting in the dangerous manner in which he was, was enough for Bonnie to not want anything to do with him. And the issues that came with dealing with Klaus in any way were so great in magnitude that she didn't even have to go over them to know how wrong it all was.

When Bonnie made it to the restroom she splashed water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She wondered if she would even recognize herself anymore when all of this was over. She wasn't sure how much more that she could take.

Bonnie sighed as her cell phone rang. She answered without thought. "Hello?" She said.

Bonnie closed her eyes tightly when Stefan's voice came on the line. "We have a problem," he said.

 **:::**

Bonnie sat down on her couch and stared straight ahead. Her friend was an idiot. She couldn't believe that she had woken Elijah. The man had betrayed them before because of his family. They all knew that family was what Elijah cared about. So logically that would mean that Stefan being the one who now had his family, he would be Elijah's target. Elena had tried to get them an ally and she had created one for Klaus instead.

"You said this place was protected," Stefan said, as he sat down next to Bonnie, "Were you serious?"

Bonnie nodded. "They'll come for you," she said, "Not that I care….but it would be best if you stayed here. With Elijah and the hybrids, Klaus has enough to come after us. We can't waste any more time. We have to get that coffin open."

Stefan grinned. He was angry that Elena had put them in a compromising position but inadvertently she had made it so that they could get done what would need to be done. Stefan now had Bonnie's permission to stay and soon he was certain he would be in Bonnie's bed. He wondered what Elena would think if she knew that her actions had made it possible for him to sleep with her best friend. "Does that mean we get to fuck for the greater good?"

Bonnie frowned. "We'll start slow," she said, "We'll only….fuck for the greater good as an absolute last resort."

Stefan knew it would be necessary but didn't protest. If she wanted to have some long drawn out foreplay that was fine by him, as that was basically what they would be doing. The end result would be the same. "That's fine," Stefan said, "But I don't think that we should hide in here. If we do the others will be suspicious. We'll have to play this by ear. See what happens with Klaus and Elijah and go from there. And in the meantime we work on the coffin."

Bonnie nodded. She thought about telling him what Caroline had told her that Tyler had said about Klaus and about her dream but she decided against it. If Klaus was really interested he would have approached her by now. The dream was likely just stress. Once they got the coffin open and got rid of Klaus none of it would matter anyway.

"I don't want this," Bonnie sighed, "Any of this. When this is over….no one can know about this. Also, us being physically involved now will mean nothing later. We're doing this because we have to, not because we want to. It's just a means to an end."

She wasn't the kind of girl that thought that way, not that there was anything wrong with that, but it simply wasn't who Bonnie was. Still, in order to pull this off, she knew that would be the kind of girl she had to become. She had kissed Stefan twice already, they had crossed the line already, and there was already no going back.

"I agree," Stefan nodded, "My switch has been flipped so you don't have to worry about me getting attached. But what about you. My aim is to inspire an emotional reaction in you. Do you think you can detach yourself from that?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I'll do what I have to," she said, as she turned to look at him, "I always do."

Stefan frowned. She wasn't the only one, but he was beginning to realize that she was the only one that most of them overlooked. Part of the reason why he loved provoking Bonnie, was because he had never seen her so expressive before. She was always so guarded. There was a lot of pain and a lot of anger under the surface and it was a fascinating thing to watch it spill out. Bonnie needed to let her emotions out as much as Stefan needed to keep his at bay. In that sense, what they were doing now, became a lot less about Klaus and a lot more about them.

"I guess we have deal then," Stefan said, "Should we seal it with a kiss."

Bonnie wanted to set him on fire, she wanted to make him writhe in pain, but inadvertently she found herself leaning in. "This isn't going to end well for us is it?" Bonnie asked, "We haven't even started really and I feel like I'm going insane."

"I would feel bad for you," Stefan said impassively, "But I'm already there. Have been for a while now."

"I understand how Damon and Elena can walk away from you," Bonnie said seriously, "Its easy…not to care about you when you're like this." She had been aiming to hurt him, or get some type of reaction but he merely blinked at her.

"I know," Stefan said, "I don't want them to care about me. It's easier that way."

"Easier for who?" Bonnie asked. She turned her body so that she was facing him completely.

"Everyone," Stefan sighed.

Bonnie wanted to press the issue but decided to drop it. "I don't care about you either," she said, "So this thing we're doing. It won't be a problem for me. You don't have to worry."

"Good," Stefan said, mimicking her pose as he turned on the couch to face her, "When this is over you can walk away too. That'd be easier for everyone. No one has to know how far from sainthood I've fallen, Elena won't even have to know that you're a better kisser than she is, and you can spare Jeremy's hurt feelings when he realizes that I got some before he did."  
Right when Bonnie was close accepting the situation as inevitable he had to make her feel like shit about it all over again. "Stop talking," she ordered.

"Shut. Me. Up."

When Bonnie kissed him she kept her mind blank. She was doing what she had to, that was all. Her attraction to Stefan didn't matter. Neither did the fact that a part of her was doing all this because she selfishly wanted to be wanted and somewhere deep down in the darkest part of her, she wanted to take from Elena something important. The same way that Elena seemed to take from Bonnie with every choice that she made. And she could blame even this on Elena in the end, as it was her friend's choices that put them in the position that they were in. It made the guilt lessen so much more when she thought that way. She didn't want this. She didn't want Stefan. She was doing what she had to. She would have to keep telling herself that if she would get through this.


	3. PART THREE: TRUTH

**Title:** Emote

 **Rating:** M

 **Genre:** AU/Supernatural/Humor/Romance

 **Pairing(s):** Bonnie/Stefan, Bonnie/Klaus, Matt/Rebekah, Tyler/Caroline, Abby/Finn, Kol/Lucy, Elijah/Katherine, mentions of Damon/Elena, past Stefan/Emily, past Stefan/Sheila, past Klaus/Ayanna, past Klaus/Gloria, past Klaus/Greta.

 **Summary:** Stefan Salvatore finds it much easier to sin now that he cannot feel emotion. The only thing that he can want now is to make Klaus suffer. The only person that can help him do that is Bonnie Bennett. But she has no faith in her powers anymore, and he has no will to help her restore it. But he knows that all power has a stimulus, and for a witch, power is tied to emotion. So even without a will to feel of his own, he plans on provoking any emotion in Bonnie that he can in any way that he can to bring the power she is too scared to use now to the surface. Fear is good. Anger works better. But the emotion with the highest success rate is lust. But what happens when Klaus discovers Stefan's methods and finds reason to want to make use of the Bennett witch himself. _Set During 3x10._

 **PART THREE: TRUTH**

" _There is always something ridiculous about the emotions of people whom one has ceased to love." ~Oscar Wilde_

Stefan Salvatore had just finished packing the belongings he had decided to take with him to Bonnie's house when there was a knock at his door. He didn't say anything as he zipped his duffle bag but he was not surprised when the person took it upon themselves to enter anyway, as he knew it could only be one of two people.

"Damon told me that you were moving out," a voice said from behind him, "Where are you going to stay?"

Stefan turned to face Elena and there was nothing more than the slight urge to cause her harm as he looked at her. He still couldn't believe that she had woken Elijah. It had to be the single most idiotic thing she had done in a while. "I don't see how that's any of your business," Stefan said aloud.

Elena frowned. "Look Stefan," she said, "You don't have to leave. I know that things are difficult now but Damon really wants you here and I don't want you to disappear. So stay, even if you're going to be like this. I am working on a way to fix things."

Stefan let out a laugh and shook his head. "You know," he said, "I never told you this but I always thought that you were lacking in the intelligence department. Just a little. But this really takes the cake. I don't really give a damn what you or Damon want. And your little plan to fix things, if it has anything to do with you waking Elijah then it failed before it even started."

Elena shook her head. "But he's going to help us get rid of Klaus," Elena said, "I told him if he did then we would give him back his family."

"Think about what you're saying Elena," Stefan said, "Klaus is his family and he is for all intents and purposes immortal. Meaning there is no known way to kill him. Do you really think that he would turn against him on the hopes that he could trust us enough to give him his family back when it's all said and done? I mean especially when there's an obvious easier target in the scenario. I'm the one with his family, there are plenty of ways that I can be killed. All he would have to do is regain Klaus' trust and help him take me out. Klaus could have killed me by now but he won't, and I knew that he wouldn't when this all started. Because even after everything Klaus still cares about me enough to want me alive, and he likes the game enough to want to play it out without taking the easy route and simply taking me out of the picture. Elijah on the other hand would have no problems killing me, even without the bonus of him getting his family back. Besides he doesn't really need us to help him figure out a way to kill Klaus. Once he has the others back all he has to do is tell them about their mother and boom, they're going to be willing to help him get rid of Klaus themselves, if that's even what they really want."

"So what you're saying is that you think that Elijah is going to cross us and come after you?" Elena asked.

Stefan rolled his eyes. How much further would he have to explain it out? "I'm saying I _know_ that you just painted a big red target on my back," he spat, "And there is no us. I'm working alone so you and whoever else you were thinking of getting involved can stay the hell out of it. Thanks to your little plan I have to hide out in a house full of dead witch spirits for my own protection. So the way I figure it if I keep doing what you want or what Damon wants it's liable to get me killed, and since I'm 'like this' now as you so eloquently put it, I'm no longer willing to die for or because of you."

Stefan picked up his duffle bag and walked around Elena. He heard her speaking but he tuned her out. He left the room without looking back. He didn't feel bad about lying to her about his working alone or his whereabouts. He had done it on purpose and was sure that she would play right into his hands.

If anyone were to go look for him now they would go directly to the house where the witches had been burned, and the spirits would keep them out so no one would know that Stefan wasn't really there. No one would know that Stefan would be staying with his new partner in crime, and no one would know the methodology of their plan.

Unlike Damon or Elena, when Stefan kept someone in the dark it was for a distinct purpose, that was why when he had acted alone before it usually saved someone's life in the process. But this time he wasn't throwing himself under the bus for anyone else, this time it was about selfishness and self-preservation, and he wondered as he left the boardinghouse if that was what it should have been about all along.

 **:::**

Bonnie Bennett frowned thoughtfully as she looked at the selection of pendants that the jewelry store clerk had set in front of her. In all actuality she had only come to the jewelry store to get Caroline's birthday present. While she had spaced when it came to helping to plan the party, she had wanted to get her the perfect gift to make up for it. However, after finding Caroline's gift a thought had occurred to Bonnie and she had acted it on it before she could stop herself.

She knew that Stefan was right. Even if Elijah would likely come after him, they couldn't hide away in Bonnie's house without causing suspicion. If they both went into hiding everyone would figure out that they were working together that much sooner. So she had to continue acting as normal as possible, and Stefan had to continue going about business as usual for the simple fact that if he went into hiding that would mean that he felt threatened and to feel threatened meant to show weakness and when you were in the middle of a war of sorts, weakness could not be shown.

But the truth remained that Stefan was now even more of a target than before and if he got killed then their plan would be over before it even started. That was why Bonnie knew that Stefan would need some kind of protection for the time that he spent outside of her house, and that was why Bonnie was now trying to pick out a pendant that she could enchant with a protection spell that he could wear around his neck.

The only problem was that Bonnie had never really shopped for a gift for a guy before. She and Jeremy hadn't ever exchanged gifts during their relationship as they hadn't been together long enough for any special occasion that would call for it to pass. And when it came to Matt, whenever his birthday or Christmas rolled around she had always settled on getting him gift cards.

The clerk behind the counter shifted in his suit and cleared his throat. "We do have some couples selections," he said, "That might be easier."

Bonnie bit her lip and thought about it. She could always enchant the other necklace for herself, but it would be even more suspicious if Stefan and she were walking around with matching necklaces. However, it would be much easier to pick out something that she would like than something that she thought Stefan would like, as she didn't know his tastes very well, especially not in the state that he was in.

"Um," Bonnie said, "Do you have anything for couples that doesn't really look like it's for couples? I mean….pieces that could work together but also stand alone?"

The clerk raised an eyebrow at her, but then he seemed to be actually considering her question. He narrowed his hazel eyes before he nodded. "Wait here a moment," he said, "I have just the thing."

Before Bonnie could answer the man disappeared over to the counter on the opposite end of the store. Bonnie blinked but shrugged as she clutched her purse and the bag that already held Caroline's gift in her hands.

"Hey, Bonnie," a voice said from behind her.

She turned to see Tyler Lockwood and smiled hesitantly. They had never really talked and well, now that he was sired to Klaus it didn't seem like the time for them to start. "Hey, Tyler," she said, "What are you doing here?" She thought about Caroline mentioning Klaus' interest in her, and the idea came to her that Tyler could be following her. He would be less suspicious than the other hybrids and unlike the ones before no one would be willing to kill him so easily.

"I needed to pick of Care's birthday gift," he explained, "I had something engraved so it kind of took a while. You coming to the party tonight?"

Bonnie nodded, grinning. "She'd kill me if I didn't," she said, "I was supposed to help her plan it, after the debacle at the crypt, but I haven't been the best company the last couple of days. I mean I've been kind of a mess with everything going on."

Tyler frowned down at her and sighed. "About the thing with Jeremy," Tyler began, "I never meant-"

Tyler stopped talking as the clerk returned. Bonnie turned back to the counter and smiled at the clerk.

"I think I've found the perfect thing," he said, smiling at her. He sat down an open box in front of her. "The moon is stainless steel," the man said, "And the sun is made of titanium. Very affordable, and not flashy. Perfect for the modest couple."

Bonnie cringed at the last sentence and glanced back at Tyler before she looked down at the pendants. The golden circular sun fit inside of the crescent moon, however, when she reached down and pulled them apart, it wasn't as if one would connect one to the other. They were nice but plain enough not to draw attention. They weren't very expensive, which was a plus as it wasn't as if Bonnie was seriously shopping for someone she cared about. "I'll take them," Bonnie said.

"Excellent," the clerk said, "I'll have them wrapped up for you."

Bonnie fished her wallet out of her purse and handed the man her card. When he disappeared she reluctantly, turned back to Tyler. "You don't have to apologize about Jeremy," she said, "I know that you don't have full control over what you do right now. I'm just glad that you're trying to get out of it. To fight it."

"Thanks," he said, "I know you're protective of everyone. So that means a lot coming from you."

Bonnie nodded. "I just call it like I see it," Bonnie shrugged, "Look, I don't know how things are going with Caroline's dad but if you maybe need to find another solution. I could look into things, you know on my end."

Tyler knew that she was speaking of a magical solution. He nodded, but as painful as Bill Forbes' techniques were, he would be sticking with it. "Don't worry about it," Tyler said, "I started this and so I'm going to see it through."

Bonnie nodded.

"So you and Jeremy worked things out then?" Tyler asked, "I mean buying couples necklaces and everything."

Bonnie shook her head quickly. "They're not for me and Jeremy," she answered swiftly, "I haven't really spoken to him since he left. It's for the best though I think, I mean after all Damon did compel him to move on so I should probably let go too right?"  
Tyler shrugged. "Not if you love him," he said, "I mean…I could give up on Caroline and she could give up on me because of this sire bond thing, but we're not."

"It's different for me and Jeremy," Bonnie said, shaking her head, "I know that he didn't have any more control over him leaving than you had over your role in it but you and Caroline love each other. Jeremy says that he always loved Anna and if he was upset about us then it's because he does care about me and because now he can't have either of us. And I do love him, but it's different now.

"I still have feelings for him but I don't want to be with someone and have to doubt why I'm with them or why they're with me. Or because neither of us likes the idea of being alone. I'd rather be involved with someone without the emotional attachments as long as everything was clear and out in the open.

"The lying is probably the thing that hurt the most about this. He lied to me for months about seeing Anna and Vicky. I've kept things from him before but it was to protect him. Still I shouldn't have had to do that. Not really. We stopped being completely honest with each other, and we stopped being on the same page in terms of our feelings. We never talked about anything, we couldn't even talk about breaking up. It just kind of ended.

"I've probably had more in depth conversations with Matt. Hell, you know more than Jeremy knows about all this at this point and this is probably the longest that you and I have ever even talked to each other. Just…it isn't as simple as you and Caroline it's…."

"Different," Tyler finished, "I get it. I'm not going to press the issue because you've probably told me more than you meant to anyway. But whether it's with Jeremy or someone else, you deserve to be happy and you deserve to be with someone that you can be completely honest with. I hope you find that one day."

The clerk began to walk back toward them and Bonnie sighed. "Yeah," she said, "Me too." She turned back to the clerk, taking her card and signing for her purchase. She took the bag from the jeweler nodding her thanks. "See you at the party," she said, to Tyler. She didn't wait for a response before she turned and left.

 **:::**

Stefan stood in the doorway to Bonnie's bedroom and watched as she came out of her closet and adjusted the midnight blue dress she was wearing. It was form fitting and rather low cut in the front and Stefan was willing to bet that Caroline was the one who picked it out as Bonnie wasn't one to show a lot of skin. He would have to remember to thank the blonde later.

"You summoned me," Stefan said, drawing Bonnie's attention.

She looked at him her face impassive. "Did you get moved in okay?" She said, conversationally.

Stefan nodded. "I would have much rather moved into your bedroom than the guest room but I plan on weaseling my way in here later so I don't mind," he shrugged.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Have you heard anything from Klaus or Elijah?" She asked, her tone becoming suddenly serious.

Stefan shook his head. "It's been quiet which is a bad sign," he said, stepping further into her room and closing the door behind him, "It likely means that they're planning."

"Then it's a good thing that I've been planning myself," Bonnie said. He watched as she walked over to her nightstand and opened the drawer. She pulled out a small box and shut the drawer. "I got these today," she said, walking over to stand in front of him.

He took the box that she gave him and opened the lid. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought we said no strings," he said, "I am thinking that means no couples jewelry as well. But that's just me."

Bonnie snatched the crescent moon necklace out of the box. "I didn't get it because I'm suddenly getting butterflies in my stomach when I see you and I'm writing our names together with hearts in all of my notebooks," Bonnie said, "Because I'm not, so don't worry. I got them together because it was cheaper to than getting two separate necklaces and I don't really know you well enough to pick something out for you anyway. I enchanted them. To protect us. We can't exactly pull off this plan if Elijah decides to kill you and Caroline…she said that Tyler said that Klaus was showing some interest in me. I'm being careful, that's it."

"What do you mean Klaus is showing interest?" Stefan asked, "And why are you just now telling me?"  
Bonnie took the box from his hand and tossed it onto her bed. "It's not a big deal," she said, "He was asking some questions. Nothing serious. Besides, I saw Tyler today and he didn't mention it. And we have the charms now so it'll be fine. If he wanted something he would have approached me by now."

"I'm not so sure about that," Stefan said, "Next time tell me if something like this happens and if Klaus comes near you I better be the first to know about it."

"Fine," Bonnie spat. She handed him the necklace and turned around. "Help me put the necklace on so I can go," she said. Bonnie gathered her curls at the top of her head so that they would be out of his way. "I'm already late," she said.

Stefan frowned when he realized the dress had an open back as well. He didn't like the idea of her going anywhere in that dress with Klaus likely waiting to make some kind of move on her. Bonnie might have been dismissive about Klaus' involvement, but Stefan knew the monster well enough to be worried.

If he had wanted Bonnie dead, Klaus would have killed her already. He knew that the hybrid found the witch attractive, though he had doubted Klaus would ever act on it even with his hobby of collecting witches. But Stefan had backed Klaus into a corner. Which meant that even with Elijah as any ally, if that was Elijah's plan as everything involving Elijah was hypothetical at this point, Klaus would want an insurance policy.

Bonnie was the closest witch in his vicinity and she had inside information so she would be his likely aim. That meant that even though Stefan couldn't linger at Bonnie's side at all times without causing questions, he would at the very least need to keep tabs on her whereabouts so that he would always know where to find her if the need struck. Also he would need to at least try to speed things up in terms of their plan. Bonnie had said that she wanted to go slow but there were ways around that and Stefan could be persuasive at that worst of times.

"Where exactly are you going?" Stefan asked as he reached around Bonnie and clasped the necklace around her neck.

"Caroline's birthday party," Bonnie said. She swallowed as she felt Stefan's lips on the back of her neck and then on the middle of her shoulder blades where her back was exposed.

"I thought she already had a birthday party," Stefan commented as he ran his hands down her sides, stopping at her hips.

"She did," Bonnie whispered, as he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her middle, "She said it didn't count because Tyler and I weren't there and it was in a crypt or something. I have to go." She dropped her arms letting her hair down. She placed her hands over his meaning to push his hands away, but she ended up linking her fingers through his instead.

"Are you sure your little charm worked?" Stefan asked, his voice low and his lips brushing her ear, "I mean I wasn't there. How much magic could you have mustered?"  
"It worked," Bonnie told him, "I know it did. I conjured enough power."

"How do you know?" Stefan pressed. A few more words and he was sure that he could convince her to stay with him or at least allow him to tag along with her. He could tell the enchantment had worked however, he could feel the magic coming from the necklace, and it made him wonder if she really needed him to access her powers after all.

Bonnie sighed and cleared her throat. If she was going to admit what she was about to admit, she didn't want to do it while he had his hands all over her. She gently pushed his hands away and stepped away from him. Walking across the room she slipped her shoes onto her feet.

"Well?" Stefan pressed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Bonnie looked at him and reluctantly met his eyes. "I thought about you," she said, quietly, "While I was doing the spell."

Stefan was both surprised and intrigued by the admission. "In what way?" He asked.

Bonnie knew that he was trying to bait her and she refused to give him the satisfaction. "I thought about killing you mostly," she said, nonchalantly, "You know slowly and painfully. It seemed to work out just fine."

She didn't like him in her home, in her personal space. Definitely not in her room. Him being in her house was a necessary evil, but that didn't mean that she would allow him to invade all of her territory.

"Was that all that you were thinking about?" Stefan pressed.

She walked over to her bed and picked up the box that contained Stefan's necklace. "Here," she said, tossing it over to him, "Take it. Wear or not. I don't care. I'm leaving."

"Not before you tell me what else you were thinking about," Stefan insisted.

Bonnie frowned and eyed him. "What is it going to take for you to drop this?" She asked.

"Let me come with you to this party," Stefan said, "I have a feeling that Klaus is going to make his move soon and I don't want you going alone."

Bonnie sighed. "I have the necklace for protection," she said, "And if you don't want people to figure out what we're up to then shouldn't we stay as far away from each other as possible in public. If we show up at Caroline's party together everyone will ask questions. She's already suspicious. She knows that you were here when she came to pick me up earlier."

"Then we won't go in together," Stefan bargained, "We can drive over together. I'll go in and crash the party and then you go in and act like you knew nothing about it."

"Fine," Bonnie agreed, "She's probably going to kick you out as soon as she sees you anyway."

"I'll get changed," Stefan said, ignoring her last statement, "Then we can go." She was likely right, but he wasn't of the mind that he would just leave simply because Caroline wanted him to, particularly when there was a chance that Klaus was going after Bonnie. They would likely be of the same mind in terms of awakening Bonnie's powers, so Stefan knew that he would have to stay one step ahead at all times.

With that thought in mind Stefan leaned down and kissed Bonnie gently on the lips. He wasn't surprised when she took a step away from him.

"You're going to have to get comfortable with me touching you," he said, "And with you touching me soon. We can't pull this off if you keep shying away from it. Like I said before, this doesn't have to just be something that we do for the sake of doing it. It can be fun."

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't really see how," Bonnie said.

Attractive or not she wasn't of the mind that bedding a vampire for the sake of killing a hybrid could ever be considered fun. It wasn't as if they had entered into the arrangement for any reason other than killing Klaus. At least when other people made arrangements like this it was for reasons like them wanting physical release, getting sexual pleasure without the messiness of emotions involved. But their objective was to get an emotional reaction out of Bonnie and while their attraction to each other was palpable it wasn't their sole motivation.

That within itself was reason enough for Bonnie to be hesitant even without factoring in Elena or Jeremy. It would be different if they just wanted to be together or just wanted to fuck each other. But that wasn't really what this was. That was why when it came down to it, Bonnie hoped that it wouldn't have to go beyond a few touches and a few kisses. That they would find another way.

"I could show you," he offered, "If you'd let me."

Bonnie backed away again and frowned. "I'm sure you could but like I said we're late already so I suggest you go get changed before I leave," she said.

Stefan decided to pick his battles and to stop pushing. However, he was determined to have Bonnie loosened up by the night's end.

:::

Elijah Mikaelson sat down next to his brother on the steps of the manor that had yet to be finished. Klaus had told him of his plans to seduce the witch and use her to get back the rest of their family without much prompting. Upon first seeing him, Klaus had looked fearful but once Elijah had told him that Elena had woken him and he had escaped before the girl had even spoken her first words Klaus looked relieved, which meant that there was likely some truth in what Elena had said in regards to their mother.

He had tried attempting to convince Klaus to awaken Rebekah to send their sister in to spy on the witch as his hybrids were doing very little outside of getting themselves killed but Klaus had refused rather adamantly claiming that it was time that he approached the witch himself.

Elijah didn't understand why Salvatore wasn't dead already. Why they all weren't dead. Or perhaps he did. He knew that his brother still had a soft spot for Stefan and he liked to play games, which Stefan was playing against Klaus rather well. Then there was the matter of the witch, she was powerful, beautiful, and a challenge, all things that Klaus would never likely pass up. This debacle with their family was giving him the perfect excuse to go after her.

He would let Klaus think that he was going along with him for now. Elijah would plan himself in the meantime. He couldn't very well kill Stefan without first knowing where it was the vampire had their family hidden, and though he questioned his brother's motives and methodology he knew that at the very least using Klaus' methods now would likely lead them to finding out where their family was later. And as soon as they did Elijah would go about planning Stefan Salvatore's execution.

 **:::**

Caroline Forbes sighed in relief as soon as Bonnie Bennett came into view. While her party was in full swing and was overall a complete success there was just a few factors that Caroline could live without.

There were so many people at the Forbes residence that they were spilling into the house from Caroline's back yard. She had gone with live music, hiring, or rather compelling a few local bands to show up and had the stage set up out back. She didn't mind people on the inside even if she was pretty sure that someone had tried to break into her mom's gun cabinet rather unsuccessfully since there was now a huge scratch on the finish. Those kinds of things tended to happen when teenagers were given alcohol and congregated in groups. It was nothing Caroline couldn't handle.

The thing that was bothering her had nothing to do with the idiots that were dancing on her coffee table or the fact that she had already had to send Matt out on another beer run and it had only been three hours. The thing that was bothering her was Elena Gilbert.

The girl had spent the entire two hours that she had been there complaining to Caroline about how Stefan had moved out of the boardinghouse and how he was angry with her. How she had woken Elijah up and now Stefan could die.

Caroline was pretty sure that if anyone wanted Stefan dead he would have been dead already and she was even surer than that that she didn't want to hear about Elena's relationship drama with someone she wasn't even in a relationship with at her birthday party. The entire crypt thing had been a bust and so Caroline had hoped against hope that Elena would at the very least try not to be a buzz kill once Caroline managed to have an actual party. However, that was too much to ask it seemed.

It had gotten even worse when Stefan had actually shown up. While he had greeted Caroline, he had ignored Elena completely, in favor of pretty much smiling at or conversing with every girl within eyeshot. He had been inside all of ten minutes and already he had managed to down two beers and was sandwiched between two girls as he led them outside toward the band presumably so they could dance.

Elena had been about to launch into a whole new round of her own little Stefan obsessed pity party when Caroline had finally caught sight of Bonnie. She nearly pounced on the girl on sight.

"Thank God you're here," Caroline cried, "I was so close to draining Elena dry. She won't stop talking about Stefan."

Bonnie sighed as she handed Caroline her birthday present. "What did he do now?" she asked. Stefan had only left Bonnie's car ten minutes earlier and he had promised to behave himself which basically meant that he wasn't going to kill anyone. However, Bonnie should have known that provoking Elena wasn't a part of his not to do list.

"Nothing," Caroline said, rolling her eyes, "He's just been ignoring her and so now her entire world has ended."

Bonnie grinned as she adjusted her jacket but chose not to comment. She followed Caroline through the house, greeting people as she went. "Where is Elena now anyway?" She asked.

Caroline shrugged. "I ditched her as soon as I saw you," Caroline said, "She's probably somewhere trying to make sure Stefan isn't having fun or dodging Damon."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow as Caroline grabbed a beer from the kitchen counter as they passed and handed it to her. "Damon's here?" Bonnie asked, "Meaning you actually invited him?"

Caroline gave Bonnie a look as she held open the back door for Bonnie to go through. "No one ever invites Damon anywhere," she said, "He just shows up. You know that. He claims he came just in case Stefan or Klaus showed up but really he's just been following Elena around like a lost puppy."

Bonnie frowned as they finally made their way outside and came upon the familiar scene of Elena in between the two Salvatore brothers. Damon seemed upset about something but Stefan didn't seem at all affected. In fact he had tried to walk away more than once but Damon kept grabbing his arm and trying to engage him in some way or another.

"It wouldn't be a party without a fight to break up," Caroline said, as Bonnie took a swig of her beer.

"I'll take care of it," Bonnie offered, "Go find Tyler and dance or something. Have fun. I'm not going to let these idiots ruin your birthday twice."

Caroline hesitated as she remembered that there was something going on with Bonnie and Stefan. Something that while she couldn't name, she was hesitant to perpetuate. "Alright," she said, "But I won't be far."

Nodding, Bonnie headed in the direction of where the three were standing together amidst the dancing party goers. She stopped next to Stefan and wasn't surprised when he immediately shook his arm out of Damon's reach and took a step closer to her.

"What's going on here?" Bonnie asked, "And it better be good because I swear on all that is holy if the two of you are ruining Caroline's birthday over something idiotic I'm going to burn you both alive."

"Are you even strong enough to do that anymore?" Stefan commented, looking down at her.

Bonnie gave him a sideways glance, and she could tell that he was attempting to bait her. "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve," she said.

"I bet you do," Stefan winked.

Bonnie rolled her eyes but she couldn't help the tiny upward twitch of her lips. She decided to ignore him in favor of looking at Elena and Damon. "Well," she said, "What did he do?"

Elena opened her mouth but Stefan cut her off. "Nothing," Stefan said, "Except maybe have fun. Which I am no longer allowed to do outside of Elena's presence apparently. Go figure."

"And by fun you mean?" Bonnie asked.

"Dancing," Stefan said, "Having a few drinks." He grabbed the bottle of beer out of Bonnie's hand and took a swig of it. "You know," he said, "Things people do at parties. But then Elena decided to throw a hissy fit because I wasn't paying attention to her pouting. I told her she was being ridiculous which she is and then her new knight in tarnished armor here came to defend her honor or something. Whatever."

"Is that what happened?" Bonnie asked, as Stefan handed the bottle back to her.

Damon shrugged. "More or less," he said, "But he knows that he was trying to bait Elena. If he wants the attention then the least he could do is try to not be an asshole."

"You're one to talk," Stefan laughed, "Also just so we're clear here. I don't need to bait Elena. I can get her attention without even trying. My entire existence is like catnip to her. Which is probably why she's so pissed that my whole life doesn't revolve around her anymore. And I am not bragging, I am just stating the sad pathetic truth. I don't see why you're so upset brother. I mean this is an opportune time for you to get into her pants the way you've almost always wanted."

"Okay," Bonnie said, before he could continue, "We're done here." The sad thing was, Stefan wasn't bragging at all. He was taking that matter of fact tone that he had come to grow so fond of in his state and Bonnie knew that he was simply stating the truth. However, this was not the time or the place to be having this particular conversation. "How about you boys separate," she suggested, "Let's not do this here."  
"I could go with not doing it at all," Stefan shrugged, "Its Damon that won't let it go. He wants to have a pissing contest so, I say why not?" He took the bottle from Bonnie's hand and took another swig, winking at Damon as he did so.

Bonnie held up her hand as Damon looked ready to attack. Elena was strangely silent looking in between Bonnie and Stefan in a way that made Bonnie uneasy. "This ends now," she said, snatching the bottle from Stefan's hand and downing the rest of it. She saw Damon raise a brow at her out of the corner of her eye but she ignored it. "You said you wanted to have fun right," she said, turning toward Stefan, "How about you stop arguing with Beavis and dance with me?"

Stefan looked to be thinking it over and then frowned. "Wait a minute," he said, "If he's Beavis does that make me Butt-head?"  
Bonnie tossed the empty bottle in her hand in Damon's direction and was surprised when he caught. "You said it not me," she shrugged.

Stefan laughed, shaking his head.

"Do we have a deal or not?" Bonnie asked, "I'm pretty sure you're not the only guy here that would be willing to dance with me."

Stefan grinned at her and Bonnie almost rescinded the offer. But she knew that the shock of her making it alone would momentarily get Damon and Elena out of fight and pout mode, and she had hoped that she would be enough to distract Stefan given their new partnership. It seemed that she was right on both counts. "Deal," Stefan said holding out his hand.

Reluctantly Bonnie took it and allowed herself to be led through the crowd. "Was all of that really necessary?" Bonnie said, as they immersed themselves in the crowd of dancing people, her voice so low she was sure that only he could hear her.

"It got your attention didn't it," Stefan answered, leaning down to whisper into her ear, "And it even got you to dance with me. You and I both know that you were planning to stay as far away from me as possible the whole night. But this way I could make you approach me on the pretense of keeping the peace and no one would be suspicious."

"That's what that was about?" Bonnie asked, shaking her head, "Trying to get my attention? Do you really expect me to buy that?"

Stefan took her hands in his and used them to wrap her arms around his neck. "Doesn't matter if you do or not," he said, "It worked anyway. And it was worth it. Even if I did have to deal with Elena and Damon to pull it off."

Bonnie raised a brow at him as he snaked his hands inside her jacket and they found her hips. "What do you mean have to deal with them?" she asked, "I'm not really sure who you're trying to fool but I know that you still love them both."

Stefan shook his head. "Not so much," he said, "Not when I'm like this. I can't feel anything remember. It's easier for me to see people for what they really are when there aren't any emotions in the way."

"What happens when you turn them back on then?" Bonnie asked, allowing herself to be pulled closer to him as they began to sway to the music.

"I don't know," Stefan said, "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Or maybe I'll just leave them off."

"You can't live like that Stefan," Bonnie protested, "Without caring about anything for the rest of your life. Especially given the fact that your existence is going to be a lot longer than an average humans."

"Why is this upsetting you so much?" Stefan asked, "I thought you said that you didn't care about me." He had known that it was a lie when she had said it, but it was becoming more and more evident with each moment that they spent together. She cared, more than he thought she had before and more than she wanted to care now.

Bonnie bit her lip and looked away from him. "It isn't bothering me," she said, "And I don't care about you. But…."

"But what?" He asked. He was getting a reaction out of her even now, without even making that much physical contact. He was getting to her, getting under skin, and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't enjoying it. Though, he wondered that if he could have this much of an effect on her in such a short time, what extended exposure to him would do to her. What would happen when things got more physical between them?

Bonnie shook her head. "Nothing," she said, "It isn't really my business." It wasn't as if he was taking this conversation seriously at any rate.

"But what, Bonnie?" he pressed, "I'm listening."

Still Bonnie hesitated a moment before she spoke. "You said that you can see people more clearly without your emotions and maybe that's true," she said, "But instead of using it as an excuse to not care shouldn't you use that as a way to make your relationships better once you allow yourself to feel again. Maybe you can see Damon and Elena for who they really are now or whatever, but that doesn't mean you have to write them off completely or that you want to. You could take the truths you know now and use them to make better choices later. And even if you decide that you want to stop caring about Elena or Damon or whoever, that doesn't mean you have to stop caring altogether. I mean if you live your entire existence without caring even a little then what's the point of being alive, Stefan?"

He could tell that she was distraught, and not just because of her expression or the fact that he was getting better at being able to read her. "I can see the truth about you too Bonnie," he whispered, "Which is why I know you do care. About me. About everyone. I always admired that about you before all this. It's actually easier dealing with not being able to feel now that I can make you feel things. Now that I can break your guard down and watch the emotions play across your face. I could just watch you and because I wouldn't have to carry all of the pain and the guilt that I had to before, I wouldn't ever miss being able to feel I don't think. Never again."

"That doesn't make any sense," Bonnie said, her expression becoming unreadable.

"Yeah it does," Stefan nodded, "You just don't want it to." He wasn't surprised when she looked down and he almost laughed when she realized that they floating several inches above the ground. "I was wondering when you would notice," he commented, as her hands gripped him tighter.

"How long have we been…?" Bonnie trailed, looking down at the ground and then back up at him again.

"A couple of minutes, now," he said, "And before you asks the things I said weren't meant to provoke any kind of reaction. You're just an easy target. While these little bursts of magic are nice, we're going to have to work on your concentration. That way you can sustain your powers for a longer period of time."

"Okay," Bonnie huffed, "That's all just great. But how about we focus on getting down right now?"

"Right," Stefan nodded, "We could do this one of two ways. We could try to get you to focus long enough to bring us down slowly. But then someone will probably see us by the time that happens, and well that could be a problem."

Bonnie looked around and noticed that no one was really paying attention to them aside from Damon, Elena, Caroline, and Tyler. But from where the four were standing they wouldn't be able to tell that Bonnie and Stefan were floating as they weren't very high and there was a crowd of slow dancing couples partially blocking their view.

"What's the fastest way to get us down?" Bonnie asked.

"Well," Stefan said, "I could distract you enough to make you drop us. I think I'll be able to catch us before we fall so it won't hurt."

"And just how are you planning on distracting me?" Bonnie asked.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Not to worry, Miss Bennett," he said, his tone placating, "I will keep my actions in line with your delicate sensibilities."

"Just do it," Bonnie hissed. She gave him the most threatening look she could muster given the fact that a part of her was afraid that they wouldn't be able to get down as nothing similar had ever happened to her before.

Bonnie came away from her thoughts of them floating in midair for all eternity as Stefan cupped the side of her face with his hand. She blinked up at him as his thumb stroked her cheek.

"What are you doing?" She asked. He was looking at her in a way that almost made her think that he had flipped his switch back on. That he could feel again and she had been responsible. "Stefan?" She questioned as he leaned forward.

In the state that he was in she really didn't know what to expect from him, but it wasn't his next words. "You have no idea how beautiful you are, Bonnie," he whispered. Then he kissed her on the forehead, his movements so gentle that they startled her.

Bonnie didn't realize they were on the ground once more until Stefan caught her just short of her falling. "Well that worked out nicely," he said, with a smirk that made her want to slap him. "Don't look at me like that," he said, "You wanted me to get us down so I got us down. I have to say though, I do think you're beautiful, and you look particularly hot tonight."

Bonnie extracted herself from his arms and began to walk away from him. "Whatever," she said.

"And of course she runs away," Stefan said, before he began to follow, her. He caught up to her quickly, walking next to her. "The correct response to a complement is thank you," he said, "Or you know if you're really grateful you can show me in one of those empty rooms upstairs."

Bonnie turned on him and glared. "I really suggest that you stop talking," she said.

"Why?" Stefan asked, eyebrow raised. He watched as Caroline and Tyler came up to stand behind her. "Are you going to…," he trailed, looking skyward.

"Stefan," Bonnie said, her tone warning.

"Shut. Me. Up." Stefan finished, looking down at her and smiling when he noted that her cheeks were flushed. "Because, I would welcome that too."

Bonnie opened her mouth to speak and was surprised when Caroline spoke over her. "I doubt you would," she said, "Considering her way of shutting you up would probably be killing you."

Stefan looked amused as Bonnie began to squirm. "You think so do you?" he asked.

Caroline nodded. She was about to tell him to leave when she felt Tyler's hand on her shoulder. "Nice necklace, Salvatore," Tyler commented.

Stefan looked down at the necklace that Bonnie had given him and laughed. "Thanks," he said, "It was a gift."

Bonnie felt the urge to curl up into a ball, but instead she decided to remove herself from the situation. "Speaking of gifts," she said, "I left Caroline's gift in the car. Excuse me."

She walked away without bothering to even glance back. She didn't want to deal with the position that Stefan had just put her in. She knew that Tyler had put two and two together about the necklaces and given that she and Stefan had just danced and shared a beer the only explanation outside of what everyone was already probably assuming, that Bonnie could give at that point would be the truth and she knew that would not go over well with anyone.

It was bad enough when she had only had Caroline's questions to deal with but she would likely now have to fend off questions from both Damon and Elena as well. That was why even though Bonnie hadn't in all actuality left Caroline's birthday present in her car she wasn't planning on retrieving it but rather on getting into her car and going home. Stefan could deal with the mess that he had created on his own.

Bonnie knew that she would likely be followed and so she didn't bother going through the house, but rather walked around it to the front and practically sprinting to her car. She looked over her shoulder as she moved to unlock the door and sure enough Caroline was following close behind her.

Sighing Bonnie pressed the button to unlock the doors, ignoring Caroline's shouts of her name as she climbed inside. Shutting the door behind her, Bonnie let out a sigh of relief as she pressed the button to lock herself inside.

Closing her eyes and leaning back against the seat Bonnie took a deep breath. She was in the middle of exhaling when she felt a hand on her thigh causing her to jump. Her eyes snapping open Bonnie looked toward the passenger's seat and froze as blue eyes met her own.

"Hello Bonnie," Klaus said smiling disarmingly at her, "Considering the look on your face I'd say that you weren't expecting to see me."

Bonnie looked straight ahead and silently began to weigh her options. If she ran she wouldn't get far, and if she went back into the party that would only mean that she would be endangering her peers. She had her powers even if she couldn't fully access them just yet, and besides that there was also her necklace that added protection. He wouldn't be able to hurt her. This way she could figure out what he wanted from her without making anyone else a target.

"I'd been expecting you actually," she said, truthfully still not looking at him, "I just wasn't sure exactly when you would come." She wished that she had taken Caroline and Stefan's warnings more seriously but it was now too late.

"How about we go for a little drive, love?" Klaus suggested, "I have a proposition for you."

Instead of answering verbally Bonnie put the keys into the ignition and started up the car.


	4. PART FOUR: PULSE

**Title:** Emote

 **Rating:** M

 **Genre:** AU/Supernatural/Humor/Romance

 **Pairing(s):** Bonnie/Stefan, Bonnie/Klaus, Matt/Rebekah, Tyler/Caroline, Abby/Finn, Kol/Lucy, Elijah/Katherine, mentions of Damon/Elena, past Stefan/Emily, past Stefan/Sheila, past Klaus/Ayanna, past Klaus/Gloria, past Klaus/Greta.

 **Summary:** Stefan Salvatore finds it much easier to sin now that he cannot feel emotion. The only thing that he can want now is to make Klaus suffer. The only person that can help him do that is Bonnie Bennett. But she has no faith in her powers anymore, and he has no will to help her restore it. But he knows that all power has a stimulus, and for a witch, power is tied to emotion. So even without a will to feel of his own, he plans on provoking any emotion in Bonnie that he can in any way that he can to bring the power she is too scared to use now to the surface. Fear is good. Anger works better. But the emotion with the highest success rate is lust. But what happens when Klaus discovers Stefan's methods and finds reason to want to make use of the Bennett witch himself. _Set During 3x10._

 **PART FOUR: PULSE**

" _Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions."_ _**~David Borenstein**_

Stefan Salvatore was pissed off. Bonnie had gone missing from Caroline's party and everyone was too busy pointing the finger at him to actually look for her. He had seen her drive off and he could have sworn that he saw Klaus in her car with her. It didn't help that she wasn't answering her phone though he had called five times already.

He didn't know where to look if he were honest. He doubted very much that Bonnie would have taken the hybrid to her house. The only other option was the manor that Klaus now occupied but Stefan didn't want to risk going there and running into the Elijah because he was sure that the man would have no qualms with killing him.

After that it was harder to narrow down where Klaus would take Bonnie in order to get her alone. Stefan knew all too well how the man operated. He didn't think Bonnie would do anything crazy like sleep with the man but Klaus had enough experience with witches to know how to get to Bonnie if he wanted to. She would respond to him due to her hatred of him and her anger toward him alone. There was more than enough animosity between the two for Klaus to get some kind of reaction. How much more would it take to inspire some other kind of reaction as well?

In truth Klaus wasn't that far behind Stefan in being able to get to Bonnie. She didn't trust either of them. Though there was bad blood between Klaus and Bonnie it wasn't as if things between her and Stefan were sunshine and roses. He had been one of the ones using Bonnie and treating her like a tool not too long ago and even now she tensed whenever he touched her. She reacted to him but she refused to sleep with him unless necessary and they hadn't in all actuality gone that far beyond square one as far as their little plan was concerned. And that was what this was about. The plan.

He was frustrated, angry, annoyed, and worried. All emotions. All things that he shouldn't have been able to feel. But since things weren't going as planned it only made sense. Bonnie was a part of that plan so it only made sense that his concern would extend to her as well. It was the only rational explanation for any of this considering that his switch was flipped which meant that he couldn't even manage to give a damn about himself let alone anyone else.

He was still at Caroline's house hoping that perhaps Bonnie had simply driven around the corner so that Klaus could say whatever he wanted to say and then she would drop him back off. But that scenario was getting more and more unlikely by the minute.

Stefan heard footsteps behind him and became even more irritated as Caroline Forbes tapped him on his shoulder. He moved to walk away but she grabbed his arm and slammed him roughly against the side of her house. As he met her angry glare with one of his own he thought in passing that maybe he had taught her too well when he had helped her while she was transitioning into a vampire.

"You have about five seconds to tell me what is going on with you and Bonnie or I start breaking bones," Caroline spat.

Stefan rolled his eyes theatrically. "I don't have time for this," he sighed. He loosened himself from Caroline's grip and in flash he had their positons switched and it was instead the blonde pinned against the side of the house. "Whatever is going on with me and Bonnie is none of your business," he spat, "Now if you excuse me I'm a little hungry so I have to go find someone to kill." He was lying. But there was no way that he would tell her that he needed to go after Klaus and see where the hell he had forced Bonnie to take him to. He would never get rid of her if he did that.

"Whatever," Caroline frowned, "Even if there was something going on with you and Bonnie it's obviously one sided. She would never want you when you're acting like this if at all. Especially considering once you flip your switch back you'll just go back to chasing after Elena if not before. But I swear if you hurt Bonnie-"

"You'll what?" Stefan asked raising an eyebrow at her, "You'll ignore her in favor of paying attention to Tyler or Matt or whoever is the latest distraction with a penis on your radar the same way you've been doing for the past year and a half. Give me a break Caroline. If you want to put on the whole protective best friend routine then do it for someone who will actually buy into your bullshit. And if you ever decide that you want to come in between me and Bonnie in any way at all ever I will not hesitate to kill you. Believe me Care bear unlike you I don't make idle threats, so watch what you say to Bonnie and watch what you say to the others as well."

In truth Stefan hadn't meant to take things this far. He was so indifferent to Caroline in this state that threatening her shouldn't have even been a possibility. But the thought of Bonnie with Klaus had him on edge. Klaus was a threat. Which made him search for other threats to his intentions with Bonnie. Caroline was a threat. So was Elena. They could easily get in the way and would more than likely be all too willing to keep Bonnie out of his orbit. Especially Elena. But he wouldn't allow it. He was living with Bonnie and so he already had the edge. No one was going to interfere with his and Bonnie's interactions. No one was going to come in between them…or their plan.

"Have I made myself clear?" Stefan asked, his grip on Caroline tightening some. At her nod he let her go. "Good," he said, "Happy birthday."

As Stefan began to walk away he knew what it must have looked like. What it must have sounded like to Caroline who didn't know the whole story. He sounded like some idiot crazed protective boyfriend. But it was a necessary evil. He had to get to Bonnie before Klaus tried anything and he had to make sure that Caroline and the others stayed away as well in the same breath. For the plan. Or at least that was what he told himself.

 **:::**

Bonnie Bennett swallowed as she pulled her car over as Klaus inclined his head indicating that she do so. She wasn't sure where they were and that made her apprehensive. She had lived in Mystic Falls her whole life and she didn't think that there was anywhere that she hadn't been within the town limits. Anywhere that was unknown to her. She was wrong.

The area was wooded and secluded. Bonnie looked around her and wondered why he had brought her there. She wondered what he wanted from her. As Klaus opened the door to the passenger's side Bonnie was sure that she was about to find out.

Bonnie watched as Klaus walked around the car and over to the driver's side. Cutting off the car, Bonnie shoved the keys into her jacket pocket as Klaus opened the car door. He held out his hand in offering, and reluctantly Bonnie took it and allowed him to help her out.

They had been quiet the entire ride. Bonnie had been at war with herself. She wanted to confront him and demand answers but she didn't want to provoke him. Right now she was only prone to short bouts of power surges at a time. She wasn't sure she could sustain her power long enough were a fight to break out. Besides, it wasn't a fight she was after, but information. She already had a plan to destroy him and she would be sticking to it, even if she was sure that Stefan would drive her crazy in the meantime.

"What are we doing here?" Bonnie frowned, as Klaus shut the car door behind her, "Where exactly is here?"

"A secluded area outside of my property," he said, "The manor is just beyond the cover of those trees. We just took a few back roads in case we were being followed."

Bonnie's frown deepened. She didn't need to ask who he was afraid had been following them. Caroline had seen her get in the car and leave her party after all. It wouldn't be a stretch if her enhanced senses had allowed her to see who she had left with.

"Do you expect me to just blindly follow you into your house?" Bonnie asked, as he moved in the direction of the trees.

Klaus turned and gave her a skeptical look. "You blindly drove me here," he shrugged, "I'm hard pressed to find the difference." When Bonnie blinked at him, he walked back over to where she was standing in front of her car. "But if you don't wish to go inside," he said, "We can remain out here."

He had planned on disarming her with a meal inside his home but he wasn't surprised to find that the witch was determined to throw a wrench in his plan even in this. His brother had told him that the witch would be unable to be seduced, at least not by normal means. She was too smart and far too wary of him for that, Elijah had said. Klaus was beginning to believe him.

"What do you want?" Bonnie asked, "From me I mean. You said you had a proposition. Let's hear it so I can go."

Klaus ignored her as he eyed the dress that she was wearing. It wasn't exactly her normal style but he couldn't say that he minded it. It clung to her in all the right places and he allowed himself to eye her form appreciatively. Now that he wasn't trying to hide his desire for her any longer, he felt free to do so. "You look lovely tonight," he said, ignoring her question, "I approve of the dress even if you are trying to hide it underneath that jacket."

Bonnie sighed. He was stalling. That much was clear. She wanted to get as far away from him as she could as soon as possible but she needed information first. She thought about Caroline's words and Stefan's as well. Klaus was supposedly interested in her. Klaus supposedly had a thing for witches. There was no reason she couldn't use both things to her advantage to get the information she needed as well as her ticket out of there. Now that she knew where she was she was sure that she could find a way out once he told her what he had brought her there for.

"I'm not trying to hide anything," Bonnie said, as she took of her jacket slowly, "But obviously you are." She watched him closely as his eyes roamed over her body. She was reminded of her dream. Clearing her throat, she laid her jacket on the hood of her car. She eased herself onto the hood as well, crossing her legs. She tried not to feel intimidated by the way that he was eyeing her so openly. "I'm clearly going to be here a while," she sighed, "So I may as well make myself comfortable."

Klaus moved forward. Slowly, carefully, and gracefully. She was reminded as he loomed over her, his gaze predatory, that he was a wolf as well as a vampire. She had trapped herself, she realized as he placed his hands on the hood on either side of her. She had nowhere to run.

Klaus's eyes narrowed as he studied the witch. She might not have been easily seducible but she was not immune to him. Not entirely. With all of her bravado and her morality, there was clearly something dark beneath the surface. Her face was expressive and her body language revealing. The dilation of her pupils and the hitching of her breath were telling him far more than her words were. "You seem so calm," Klaus smirked, "If it wasn't for the thrumming of your pulse I might be offended that my presence didn't make you at least a little nervous."

"Unless you want me to cause you bodily harm," Bonnie said, ignoring the implications of his words, "Then I suggest you tell me why I'm here."

"There won't be any need for that, love," he said as he leaned even closer. He smiled as she attempted to scoot away from him but only succeeded in bringing their bodies to brush against each other. She had a nice scent, warm and flowery. While his actions were motivated by his family, by revenge, there were worse things that he could be doing in order to achieve his aim.

"Well," Bonnie pressed, attempting to hide her discomfort, "Let's hear it." His eyes drifted down to her lips a moment and she cursed herself as she licked them without thought. She didn't know what was wrong with her.

She had never given any thought to Klaus before. It was her dreams that had desensitized her to the idea. He was attractive, admittedly. In that tall, dark, and handsome, dangerous and sexy kind of way. But he was also a murderer. He was a sociopath. He had been terrorizing her friends for months and they had tried to kill each other. These were not small things.

But as she thought about it. She thought about Stefan. Stefan whom Elena loved. Stefan who had an addiction problem with human blood and a fetish for dismembering bodies. Stefan who had boned his way through witches for decades including ones in her own family. Stefan who could no longer feel. Those things did not stop her from being attracted to Stefan. They didn't stop her from kissing him. From agreeing to sleep with him. Or from dreaming of his as well.

She didn't have much experience with men. Caroline had been right in that respect. She had heard and seen people say and do things. She had been informed that attraction and sex could have nothing to do with liking someone. And she understood that in a way.

But finding someone attractive didn't really mean that one was attracted to them. For example, she could admit Damon was easy on the eyes but everything else about him was a turn off as far as she was concerned and she couldn't bring herself to think of him in that way. But she had thought about Stefan before, she could admit that at least to herself. Then her dreams had forced her to have those thoughts about Klaus, though most of the time she had been able to block them out.

But being attracted to someone didn't mean that the attraction should be acted on either. While the plan gave Bonnie an excuse to act on her attraction to Stefan; there was no such excuse to do so with Klaus. And she didn't want one. She didn't want to act out anything that she was feeling at the moment. It was terrifying and wrong. She had to force herself not to push him away and make a run for it.

"As you know," Klaus said, his voice breaking into her thoughts, "Your friend Stefan has something of mine. Something I want back."

"He's isn't my friend," Bonnie frowned, looking down, "He was closer to being your friend than he ever was mine actually. So if you want me to try my hand at persuading him to do what you want and give back your family then you're barking up the wrong tree. And thanks to you his switch is flipped. Not that I would have any pull over him anyway. But right now especially he's not too keen on playing nice with anyone. But you know that."

Klaus nodded. "I do," he said, "And I know that friend or not you'll protect him if need be because that's who you are. That fact is also the only reason I haven't killed him yet." She looked up at him then and he knew that he had her attention. "I love a good game," he said, "And this is one I am willing to play because his actions have given me a reason to approach you."

"What do you want from me?" Bonnie questioned, "Why would you need an excuse? We both know you do what you want when you want. What would make harassing me any different?"

He moved even closer to her, ignoring the hands that she placed on his chest to stop him. He was practically lying on top of her as he whispered in her ear. "I don't want to harass you, Bonnie," he murmured, "I want to be near you. To spend time with you. To know you."

Bonnie might've laughed if he wasn't so close to her now. Her hands were poised to push him away but for some reason she remained still. "That isn't going to happen," she said, "I don't even want to be around Stefan and there was a time when I actually liked him. Why would I willingly subject myself to the likes of you?"

Klaus didn't seem at all offended. In fact he seemed amused, which annoyed her. She knew that she should just leave. She had figured out what he wanted. Besides, she was sure that someone would come after her soon. Caroline or worse Stefan.

"I figured you would say that," he said, "Which is why I am prepared to make a deal with you. If you spend a few hours with me a day I'll let Stefan live. At least until I figure out where he's keeping the remainder of my family. Then all bets are off."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You'd keep him alive until you found that out anyway," she said, "If you wanted him dead then he would be dead already."

Klaus pulled away slightly and raised a brow at her. "Are you willing to make that gamble, Miss Bennett?" he asked, "Because if you're wrong and he dies then I'm sure whether you like him at the moment or not, there will be some guilt there on your part."

Bonnie sighed. Even as guarded as she was most of the time, she was still transparent. Everyone knew what motivated her and how to use it against her to get what they wanted. Even Klaus. He had her and they both knew it. "I'm sure I could get over it," she shrugged, just the same, "But just to play devil's advocate. What do you get out of spending time with me?"

"Besides the pleasure of your company," he grinned, "There are many things that I could teach you. You have potential to be great in the right hands. I'm determined to sway you to my side and take advantage of that potential." It was the truth in a way. More truth than he would have revealed had he not known that she would be able to see through him if he tried another route. Still, he would keep the fact that he also wanted her in his bed to himself. She would understand his desires soon enough.

"I hate you," Bonnie said seriously, "I would never be on your side. Besides…what exactly could you teach me that I couldn't learn on my own?"  
Klaus smiled in a way that made Bonnie think he had been waiting for that question. One of his hands moved from the hood of her car to her bare knee. "Plenty," he said, "I have a lot of… _experience_ with your kind. I know about your powers. Your talents. I know what makes you tick. I can see greatness in you and I know just how to provoke you into letting it out."  
"Bullshit," Bonnie hissed. She moved finally to push him away but he shook his head.

"Not so fast," he said, "I'll tell you what. Since I like you-" Bonnie made a scoffing sound that he ignored. "I'll take some pity on you," he continued, "A witch's power is tied to her emotions after all. You Bonnie are an emotional person. As fun as it is to agitate you, I think I will end things here for tonight."

"You think you can make me feel something," Bonnie laughed, "Inspire some emotional response? Well you're wrong," She frowned as she remembered a time when she had thought the same about Stefan. "At least," she said, ignoring her own thoughts, "Not unless you count hatred, anger, and disgust."

He had been willing to let her go for the moment but her words made him change his mind. "That sounds like a challenge, love," he said, "How about a little wager?" He took her silence as acquiescence. "If I can make you feel something besides anger, disgust, and hatred," he offered, "In say that next…three minutes. You accept my offer. If not….I will play nice and negotiate with Stefan. I'll leave you alone. I'll even promise not to let my war with Stefan touch anyone else that you care about."

Bonnie frowned. It sounded too good to be true. He seemed so sure of himself. But she had managed to hide her reactions to him thus far, so she was sure she could do so a little while longer. "You have a deal," she said.

Klaus tried not to look too smug. She was making this easier than he thought she would. The fact that she was even allowing him to touch her meant that he had already won. But he wanted to push her. He wanted to see how far that he could take things.

She swallowed hard as he pushed her knee to side. She unconsciously followed his lead and uncrossed her legs even as she eyed him warily. Her hands gripped his shirt as he gripped her thighs and pulled her forward so that she didn't lose her balance. He maneuvered his body until her legs were on either side of him. "What are you doing?" She frowned, biting her lip.

He ignored her question as his lips found her neck. There was a moment of frozen shock as Bonnie felt his tongue against her skin. One of his hands moved up her bare back and she squirmed. "I really do love this dress," he whispered.

Bonnie began to push at his chest, but her movements were feeble. Her mind had gone blank and her body was somewhere in between responding to him and being repulsed by her willingness too. "Klaus," she protested weakly as she felt her power surge, "Please do-"

She was cut off midsentence as his lips moved to capture her mouth. She heard the sound of thunder and saw lighting crash onto the ground before her eyes fell shut. She was feeling a number of things. Anger. Frustration. Self-deprecation. Want. Desire. She felt like an idiot. She shouldn't have come. None of this should be happening. But even as one hand beat against his chest in any effort to get him away from her the other moved into his hair.

As his tongue swept into her mouth, the rain started, and she knew that she was responsible. As the water came down from the sky drenching them both Bonnie wished that he wasn't such a good kisser. She melted as his tongue massaged hers and the shame she felt was immeasurable.

Klaus pulled back and Bonnie whimpered. The sound made her feel even more spineless than she already did. As his eyes flashed yellow she didn't know whether to feel better or worse about the fact that she had affected him as well.

As his hands left her and he moved away from her Bonnie felt cold. However, she wasn't sure if the sensation was due to his suddenly pulling away from her or because she had allowed him to touch her in the first place.

He looked as if he wanted to pounce on her again just the same. It was unnerving. She had gone from thinking that Caroline was insane to understanding just how interested Klaus was. She wondered at his actions in pulling away from her even more as he adjusted his shirt in order to cover his own arousal.

"It's been three minutes," he said by way of explanation. He hadn't been counting, not really. He was sure that it was close to it but she had distracted him. Her effect on him was unsettling. Her power had called to him, even to his wolf. But he was pleased that he had gotten this far. Pleased that she was vulnerable to him. "If the rain and the smell of your arousal are any indication I believe I've won," he said, trying to seem self-satisfied and hide his own alarm.

"Fuck you," Bonnie spat. The rain stopped abruptly as she began to shut down. She tried to climb off the hood of her car but slipped due to the water. As Klaus caught her and helped her to her feet she glared at him. "Don't ever touch me again," she said, smacking his hands away.

She snatched her jacket from the hood and began to dig through the pockets for her keys. She fumbled as she found them and cursed as they hit the ground.

"We made a deal, love," Klaus said as he reached down and retrieved her keys, "Remember to come when I call."

"Fine," Bonnie spat, grabbing her keys away from him roughly, "But I promise you if you ever touch me like that again I will torture you within an inch of your life, let you heal yourself and then start all over again."

Bonnie turned away from him and unlocked her car door. She froze as Klaus came up behind and pressed himself against her, his actions showing how little he cared about her threats. "Whatever you need to tell yourself, sweetheart," he whispered, "We both know the truth. Be sure to take the back roads when you come back. I wouldn't want your friends realizing where you are the next time you come. They would ruin all of our fun." He reached around Bonnie and opened her car door.

Ignoring his words Bonnie climbed inside of her car and slammed the door behind her. She wanted to scream or cry but she did neither, knowing that he was still watching her.

Bonnie started her car and pulled away. Her mind came to two conclusions as she drove. The first being that she would not be able to survive long if she had to spend day after day alone with Klaus. The second being that she would have to sleep with Stefan as soon as possible so that they could open the stupid coffin and whatever was inside would save her from her self-imposed Klaus controlled prison and kill him.

 **:::**

When Bonnie came home Stefan was waiting for her when she walked into her bedroom. He was sitting on the edge of her bed looking at the door expectantly. His face was calm. Too calm considering the amount of times that he had called her phone. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze as he took in her disheveled appearance.

"Please," Bonnie sighed, "No lectures alright. I'm tired and I just left Klaus. Yes, I know that you called me. No I don't care at the moment. My night only got worse after I left Care's party and you haven't been making things any better for me."

Stefan watched as Bonnie took off her jacket and tossed it on her desktop. He could smell the faint scent of arousal coming off of her and he frowned. "You want to tell me what happened after you took off?" he asked.

Bonnie's face fell and he knew that he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. "A lot," Bonnie muttered, "Klaus just showed up in my car. We drove off. We stopped. He pissed me off…and well the short end of it was that he trapped me into spending time with him on a regular basis. I'll figure out a way to get out of it so don't worry about it alright."

He could tell that there was something that she wasn't telling him. That there was a lot that she wasn't telling. "This whole partner in crime thing doesn't work if you lie to me Bonnie," Stefan said. When she still remained silent he decided to press the issue. "So did all of this happen before or after you let him touch you?" He asked. Bonnie opened her mouth to argue with him but he held up his hand. "Before you answer that let me say this," he frowned, "You smell like him and other things that you probably don't want me to mention. I warned you about Klaus pursuing witches so I know exactly how he operates. Your hair is a mess. Your dress is bunched up at the skirt. I could go on… So how far did you let him go?"

Bonnie began to massage her temples to ward off an oncoming headache. "First of all," she said, "I don't like your tone. Second you don't get to act the role of jealous boyfriend when we aren't even friends anymore let alone dating. I don't have to defend myself to you but you are right about one thing. Since we're working together then I should be honest. We kissed. That's it. It was a part of a wager to see if he could get a reaction out of me. He did. I don't even know why I did it." Bonnie kicked off her shoes and ran a hand through her hair. "It was like I was having an out of body experience or something."

Stefan looked unimpressed. "I thought you were smarter than that Bonnie," he scowled, "I mean come on. It's Klaus."

Bonnie scoffed. "Oh don't give me that holier than thou saint bull shit," Bonnie spat, "You're not much better. I mean look at you. You're both murders. You've both fucked your way through the witch population. You were even friends at one point. Correct me if I'm wrong."

Stefan's jaw ticked and he swallowed. "If that's what you think of me then there is no way in hell that his will work," he said, "You don't even feel comfortable when I touch you but you let Klaus…"

Bonnie pinched the bridge of her nose. "Seriously Stefan," she said, "You don't get it by now? A huge part of the reason that it makes me uncomfortable for you to touch me is because of how you're acting. You're treating this like a game. Like it's nothing. You touch me to provoke me. To get under my skin. To piss me off. You've known me longer but you're using the same exact methods as Klaus to get to me. Why when you should know better? I get that you want some no strings arrangement and I get why we're doing this but I'm not used to the idea of intimacy for any other reason beyond the fact that I want it to happen and I feel wanted. Even if I've never actually completely felt that way. You don't make me feel that way any more than Klaus does and you both have ulterior motives so how could I not compare you two?"

Stefan wanted to break something or perhaps kill someone. She was right in a way and yet he didn't know what she wanted him to do. "I can't feel anything, Bonnie," he spat, "I don't know what you want me to do. And even if I could….if that was the case then this thing between you and me likely wouldn't be happening in the first place."

Bonnie didn't even know why she was bothering with this. He clearly didn't understand. Even if he did it wouldn't really matter. She shouldn't have to spell this out for him and it made her even more sure that he didn't give a damn about her. Either that or he was oblivious and an idiot. Or both. "Let me put it to you this way," she said, "If I were just some girl at a bar that you wanted to get in bed how would approach me? Would you do keep bugging me, invading my space, and provoking me until I gave in like you've been doing?"

Stefan blinked. "Of course not…," he said, and then it hit him all at once and he nodded in understanding, "So you're saying that I'm acting like those guy's in a bar that harasses a girl all night and is surprised when he gets a drink thrown in his face."

"Exactly," Bonnie nodded, throwing her hands up in the air.

"In my defense," Stefan said, "You do get kind of into it sometimes and clearly it worked for Klaus." He could see Bonnie's expression darkening and he held up his hands apologetically. "But I can see how that would get annoying and invasive after a while and it isn't really getting us anywhere so I'm sorry."

Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise. "You're apologizing to me," she said, "You couldn't even pull that off when you had emotions. I think that hell just froze over."

Stefan stood from where he was seated on the edge of Bonnie's bed. Walking up to her he placed his hands on her hips. "I'm just laying the ground work," he told her, "Since you're going to make me work for it I have to start wearing you down."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed. She hadn't expected him to agree. She had expected some kind of lecture about how they didn't have time and for him to throw a temper tantrum about Klaus. But she couldn't say that she was upset, even if she was sure part of the reason that he had agreed was because he wanted to one up Klaus in terms of getting to her as well. At least she had more control over the situation, even if it was more dire than before.

"Is that so?" she asked, as her ran his hands up her back. His eyes were dark as he looked at her. His pupils dilated. This seemed more natural than his earlier attempts. Less teasing, more sincere. She felt herself softening toward him just a bit.

"That's right," he nodded, "I am going to seduce you. You are going to love every minute of it and by the time I'm done you'll be begging for me to take you to bed."

"We'll see," Bonnie said, "I'm not as easy as you seem to think I am." Even as she said the words she wrapped her arms around his neck. She hadn't really believed what he and Caroline had said about him being interested in her before. About him thinking about, wanting her. But she was beginning to as he gazed down at her.

When Stefan kissed her she didn't pull away. She didn't look irritated as he pulled back or on the verge of flight either. "When I call you next time answer," he said, "I don't care if you're with Klaus or anyone else."

"Don't tell me you were worried," Bonnie grinned, raising a brow at him.

Stefan opened his mouth to tell her that he was worried about the plan and not her. A rationalization to hide the fact that she had in fact been his main concern. But she seemed more open to him this way and that was what they needed for the plan to work. Not only that but he didn't like being compared to Klaus, especially when it came his treatment of her. He was better than that. She didn't mean that much to him in the state that he was in but she had at one point. She was right, he shouldn't have taken the route that Klaus had taken with her. He should have known better. "Maybe I was," he answered, his tone and his face soft and sincere.

Bonnie grinned wider. "Oh you're good," she giggled, "But you're going to have to do a little better than that."

Stefan smiled in return as he leaned down again. "I think I'm up for the challenge," he said, as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers again. As his tongue swept into her mouth the lights in Bonnie's room began to flicker on an off and he could feel the first stirrings of her power surfacing.

He pulled her into his chest but paused as he thought about Klaus kissing and touching her the way that he was now earlier that very same night. Gently he pulled away from her. He would start things over tomorrow. They were on good terms and that was enough for the moment. He didn't want to take her when she was covered in Klaus's scent and her lips were still slightly bruised from his kiss. "You should get some sleep," he whispered as he reached down and brushed her hair from her face, "We'll start over fresh tomorrow."

"Okay," Bonnie murmured in reply as she nodded.

Stefan reluctantly let her, said goodnight and left the room. Bonnie sighed as the door shut behind him. She knew that when tomorrow came she would likely have to deal with Klaus. She would have to dodge calls for Caroline and Elena. She would have to go over spells and research the coffins. But as she thought about Stefan's promise she didn't really care anymore and tomorrow didn't seem that bad.

 **:::**

Elijah looked up as his brother walked into the room in the manor that he had been given. He was surprised at the smug look on his brother's face. He knew that he wouldn't be looking so smug if whatever charm he had tried on the witch hadn't worked. Elijah had to say that he was surprised. He had figured that the Bennett girl was smarter than that. But then a thought occurred to him and things were beginning to make sense.

"Come back from forcing the Bennett girl's hand have you," Elijah said, "What did you do? Threaten to kill her? Miss Gilbert perhaps? Or her precious little Jeremy?"

Klaus shook his head. "None of that was necessary," he said, "There were some minor threats in passing but they were teasing at best. She much more susceptible to me then even I thought. It doesn't make much sense but I am glad for it. Makes my work that much easier. She'll be around here every so often from now on so if you see her then play nice."

Elijah didn't understand. Something was off. "Are you sure she's susceptible and this isn't some kind of trap?" he pressed, "Because it sounds like a trap to me. We've underestimated her before."

Klaus looked unconcerned and Elijah was once again reminded about what an idiot he could be. It didn't matter much as he was biding his time before he would turn against Klaus anyway, however.

"I know that more than anyone," Klaus shrugged, "But I also know witches. And you cannot fake the way that she reacted to me. The way that her body and her powers responded. It was…exquisite." Klaus looked lost in thought a moment before he shook his head to clear. "Not that it much matters," he said, clearing his throat, "She's simply means to an end after all."

Klaus could try to downplay his reaction to the Bennett witch all he wanted but Elijah knew him well. He could see that there was something that his brother wasn't telling him. That there was a longing and a desire under the surface. He was trying to diminish it away for now but Elijah knew what could happen when he wanted something, especially a woman. How dangerous and single minded that he could get. Elijah just hoped that he could manage to get his family back and figure out a way to get rid of Klaus before the inevitable happened.


End file.
